wildcatter

noun

wild·​cat·​ter ˈwī(-ə)l(d)-ˌka-tər 

1

: one that drills wells in the hope of finding oil in territory not known to be an oil field

2

: one that promotes unsafe and unreliable enterprises

especially : one that sells stocks in such enterprises

3

: one that designs, builds, or fires wildcat cartridges and firearms

4

: a worker who goes out on a wildcat strike

Did you know?

Messing with a wildcat, such as a lynx, can be a pretty risky undertaking, but ferocious felines played only an indirect role in the development of the word wildcatter. That term has been used in English since the late 19th century, along with the verb "wildcat," which refers to the risky practice of drilling experimental oil wells in territory not known to produce oil. English-speakers associated "wildcat" with risk-taking ventures after a number of U.S. banks fraudulently issued banknotes with little or no capital to back them up. Supposedly, the banknotes issued by one particular bank bore the image of a panther or, as it was known locally, a "wildcat," and it was those risky notes that led to the financial risk-taking senses of "wildcat" and "wildcatter."

Examples of wildcatter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to her family, friends and some Texas wildcatters to maintain control of her oil-rich land, eventually becoming one of the nation’s first female African American millionaires — at 11 years old. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2024

Glenn McCarthy, a poor wildcatter, became Diamond Glenn, the owner of newspapers, a radio station, a major hotel, and a chemical company, and the creator of a brand of bourbon. —Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024

The high prices enticed wildcatters to search for the gas. —Michael Braga, The Arizona Republic, 14 May 2024

Why were wildcatters interested in helium in Arizona? —Michael Braga, The Arizona Republic, 14 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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