black hole

black hole
   obsolete
   a prison
   So called because it was insanitary, unlit, and below ground. Sometimes shortened to hole:
    Nothing but law and vengeance, blackhole and fining. (Cross, 1844)
    They'l other foin us, or else send us to't oil. (Bywater, 1839)
   Most British towns had their black hole, although, when British schoolchildren used to be taught British history, the only one they were told about was the Calcutta version of 1756.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • Black Hole — est une bande dessinée en noir et blanc de Charles Burns. Elle a été publiée aux États Unis en 12 volumes, de 1995 à 2005 par Kitchen Sink Press et Fantagraphics. Une édition intégrale a été réalisée par Pantheon Books en 2005. En France,… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • black hole — lack hole A dungeon or dark cell in a prison; a military lock up or guardroom; now commonly with allusion to the cell (the Black Hole) in a fort at Calcutta (called the {Black Hole of Calcutta}), into which 146 English prisoners were thrust by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • black hole — ˌblack ˈhole noun [countable] COMMERCE a business activity or product on which large amounts of money are spent, but that does not produce any income or other useful result: • Anyone who launches a bid for the company will want to be sure there… …   Financial and business terms

  • Black Hole — steht für: ein astronomisches Objekt, siehe Schwarzes Loch Black Hole (Alton Towers), Achterbahn in Alton Towers, England Black Hole (Fahrgeschäft), mobile Indoorachterbahn Black Hole Entertainment, ungarisches Softwareunternehmen Black Hole… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • black hole — noun count 1. ) SCIENCE an area in outer space where the force of GRAVITY is so strong that light and everything else around it is pulled into it 2. ) INFORMAL a situation in which large amounts of money are spent without bringing any benefits:… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • black hole — n 1.) an area in outer space into which everything near it, including light, is pulled 2.) informal something that uses up a lot of money ▪ I m worried that the project could become a financial black hole …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Black Hole — [ blæk houl] das; , s <aus gleichbed. engl. black hole> Schwarzes Loch (Astrophys.) …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • black hole — in astrophysics, 1968, probably with awareness of Black Hole of Calcutta, incident of June 19, 1756, in which 146 British POWs taken by the Nawab of Bengal after the capture of Ft. William, Calcutta, were held overnight in punishment cell of the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • black hole — If there is a black hole in financial accounts, money has disappeared …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • black hole — black holes 1) N COUNT Black holes are areas in space, where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from them. Black holes are thought to be formed by collapsed stars. 2) N COUNT: usu sing If you say that something,… …   English dictionary

  • Black Hole —   [ blæk həʊl] das, / s, Astrophysik: englische Bezeichnung für Schwarzes Loch …   Universal-Lexikon

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