wild·cat
ˈwī(-ə)l(d)-ˌkat
plural wildcats
1
a
: either of two Old World cats (Felis silvestris or F. lybica) that resemble but are heavier in build than the domestic tabby cat and are usually held to be among the ancestors of the domestic cat
b
or plural wildcat
: any of various small or medium-sized cats (such as the lynx or ocelot)
c
: a feral domestic cat
2
: a savage quick-tempered person
3
a
: wildcat money
b
: a wildcat oil or gas well
c
: a wildcat strike
1
a(1)
: issued by a financially irresponsible banking establishment
wildcat currency
(2)
: financially irresponsible or unreliable
wildcat banks
b
: operating, produced, or carried on outside the bounds of standard or legitimate business practices
wildcat insurance schemes—H. H. Reichard
c
: of, relating to, or being an oil or gas well drilled in territory not known to be productive
d
: initiated by a group of workers without formal union approval or in violation of a contract
a wildcat strike
wildcat work stoppages
2
a
of a cartridge
: having a bullet of standard caliber but using an expanded case or a case designed for a bullet of greater caliber necked down for the smaller bullet
b
of a firearm
: using wildcat cartridges
wildcatted; wildcatting
: to prospect and drill an experimental oil or gas well or sink a mine shaft in territory not known to be productive
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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