wildcat — [wīld′kat΄] n. pl. wildcats or wildcat 1. a) any of a large group of fierce, medium sized, undomesticated cats, including the bobcat, Canada lynx, ocelot, serval, and caracal b) a house cat that has escaped from domestication: in this sense,… … English World dictionary
wildcat — A wildcat scheme is rash financially or ethically and will probably fail … The small dictionary of idiomes
wildcat — [wajldkat] n. m. ÉTYM. Mil. XXe; mot angl., « chat sauvage ». ❖ ♦ Anglic. Techn. Puits d exploration foré dans une zone pétrolière non encore exploitée … Encyclopédie Universelle
wildcat — (n.) early 15c., from WILD (Cf. wild) (adj.) + CAT (Cf. cat). Meaning savage woman is recorded from 1570s; sense of one who forms rash projects is attested from 1812. The adj. in the financial speculative sense is first recorded 1838, Amer.Eng … Etymology dictionary
wildcat — ► NOUN 1) a small Eurasian and African cat, typically grey with black markings and a bushy tail, believed to be the ancestor of the domestic cat. 2) a hot tempered or ferocious person. 3) an exploratory oil well. ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of a strike)… … English terms dictionary
Wildcat — Taxobox name = WildcatMSW3 Wozencraft | pages = 536 537] status = LC trend = down status system = iucn3.1 status ref =IUCN2006|assessors=Cat Specialist Group|year=2002|id=8543|title=Felis silvestris|downloaded=5 May 2006 Database entry includes… … Wikipedia
wildcat — /wuyld kat /, n., pl. wildcats, (esp. collectively) wildcat for 1 4, adj., v., wildcatted, wildcatting. n. 1. any of several North American felines of the genus Lynx. Cf. lynx. 2. a yellowish gray, black striped feline, Felis sylvestris, of… … Universalium
wildcat — I. noun (plural wildcats) Date: 14th century 1. a. an Old World cat (Felis silvestris) that resembles but is heavier in build than the domestic tabby cat and is usually held to be among the ancestors of the domestic cat b. or plural wildcat any… … New Collegiate Dictionary
wildcat — ▪ I. wildcat wild‧cat 1 [ˈwaɪldkæt] adjective [only before a noun] a wildcat oil well or discovery of oil is one that is in a place where no one has found oil before [m0] ▪ II. wildcat wildcat 2 verb [intransitive] to look for oil in a place… … Financial and business terms
wildcat — [[t]wa͟ɪldkæt[/t]] wildcats 1) N COUNT A wildcat is a cat which is very fierce and lives especially in mountains and forests. A giant wildcat is being hunted after 58 lambs were butchered. 2) ADJ: ADJ n A wildcat strike happens suddenly, as a… … English dictionary
