Suck·er n.
 1. One who, or that which, sucks; esp., one of the organs by which certain animals, as the octopus and remora, adhere to other bodies.
 2. A suckling; a sucking animal.
 3. The embolus, or bucket, of a pump; also, the valve of a pump basket.
 4. A pipe through which anything is drawn.
 5. A small piece of leather, usually round, having a string attached to the center, which, when saturated with water and pressed upon a stone or other body having a smooth surface, adheres, by reason of the atmospheric pressure, with such force as to enable a considerable weight to be thus lifted by the string; -- used by children as a plaything.
 6. Bot. A shoot from the roots or lower part of the stem of a plant; -- so called, perhaps, from diverting nourishment from the body of the plant.
 7. Zool. (a) Any one of numerous species of North American fresh-water cyprinoid fishes of the family Catostomidae; so called because the lips are protrusile. The flesh is coarse, and they are of little value as food. The most common species of the Eastern United States are the northern sucker (Catostomus Commersoni), the white sucker (Catostomus teres), the hog sucker (Catostomus nigricans), and the chub, or sweet sucker (Erimyzon sucetta).  Some of the large Western species are called buffalo fish, red horse, black horse, and suckerel. (b) The remora. (c) The lumpfish. (d) The hagfish, or myxine. (e) A California food fish (Menticirrus undulatus) closely allied to the kingfish (a); -- called also bagre.
 8. A parasite; a sponger. See def. 6, above.
    They who constantly converse with men far above their estates shall reap shame and loss thereby; if thou payest nothing, they will count thee a sucker, no branch.   --Fuller.
 9. A hard drinker; a soaker. [Slang]
 10. A greenhorn; someone easily cheated, gulled, or deceived. [Slang, U.S.]
 11. A nickname applied to a native of Illinois. [U. S.]
 Carp sucker, Cherry sucker, etc. See under Carp, Cherry, etc.
 Sucker fish. See Sucking fish, under Sucking.
 Sucker rod, a pump rod. See under Pump.
 Sucker tube Zool., one of the external ambulacral tubes of an echinoderm, -- usually terminated by a sucker and used for locomotion. Called also sucker foot. See Spatangoid.
 Black a.
 1. Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes.
    O night, with hue so black!   --Shak.
 2. In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds.
    I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud.   --Shak.
 3. Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible.  “This day's black fate.”   “Black villainy.”  “Arise, black vengeance.”  “Black day.” “Black despair.”
 4. Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks.
 Note: ☞ Black is often used in self-explaining compound words; as, black-eyed, black-faced, black-haired, black-visaged.
 Black act, the English statute 9 George I, which makes it a felony to appear armed in any park or warren, etc., or to hunt or steal deer, etc., with the face blackened or disguised. Subsequent acts inflicting heavy penalties for malicious injuries to cattle and machinery have been called black acts.
 Black angel Zool., a fish of the West Indies and Florida (Holacanthus tricolor), with the head and tail yellow, and the middle of the body black.
 Black antimony Chem., the black sulphide of antimony, Sb2S3, used in pyrotechnics, etc.
 Black bear Zool., the common American bear (Ursus Americanus).
 Black beast. See Bête noire.
 Black beetle Zool., the common large cockroach (Blatta orientalis).
 Black bonnet Zool., the black-headed bunting (Embriza Schœniclus) of Europe.
 Black canker, a disease in turnips and other crops, produced by a species of caterpillar.
 Black cat Zool., the fisher, a quadruped of North America allied to the sable, but larger. See Fisher.
 Black cattle, any bovine cattle reared for slaughter, in distinction from dairy cattle. [Eng.]
 Black cherry. See under Cherry.
 Black cockatoo Zool., the palm cockatoo. See Cockatoo.
 Black copper. Same as Melaconite.
 Black currant. Bot. See Currant.
 Black diamond. Min. See Carbonado.
 Black draught Med., a cathartic medicine, composed of senna and magnesia.
 Black drop Med., vinegar of opium; a narcotic preparation consisting essentially of a solution of opium in vinegar.
 Black earth, mold; earth of a dark color. --Woodward.
 Black flag, the flag of a pirate, often bearing in white a skull and crossbones; a signal of defiance.
 Black flea Zool., a flea beetle (Haltica nemorum) injurious to turnips.
 Black flux, a mixture of carbonate of potash and charcoal, obtained by deflagrating tartar with half its weight of niter. --Brande & C.
 Black Forest [a translation of G. Schwarzwald], a forest in Baden and Würtemburg, in Germany; a part of the ancient Hercynian forest.
 Black game, or Black grouse. Zool. See Blackcock, Grouse, and Heath grouse.
 Black grass Bot., a grasslike rush of the species Juncus Gerardi, growing on salt marshes, and making good hay.
 Black gum Bot., an American tree, the tupelo or pepperidge. See Tupelo.
 Black Hamburg (grape) Bot., a sweet and juicy variety of dark purple or “black” grape.
 Black horse Zool., a fish of the Mississippi valley (Cycleptus elongatus), of the sucker family; the Missouri sucker.
 Black lemur Zool., the Lemurniger of Madagascar; the acoumbo of the natives.
 Black list, a list of persons who are for some reason thought deserving of censure or punishment; -- esp. a list of persons stigmatized as insolvent or untrustworthy, made for the protection of tradesmen or employers. See Blacklist, v. t.
 Black manganese Chem., the black oxide of manganese, MnO2.
 Black Maria, the close wagon in which prisoners are carried to or from jail.
 Black martin Zool., the chimney swift. See Swift.
 Black moss Bot., the common so-called long moss of the southern United States. See Tillandsia.
 Black oak. See under Oak.
 Black ocher. See Wad.
 Black pigment, a very fine, light carbonaceous substance, or lampblack, prepared chiefly for the manufacture of printers' ink. It is obtained by burning common coal tar.
 Black plate, sheet iron before it is tinned. --Knight.
 Black quarter, malignant anthrax with engorgement of a shoulder or quarter, etc., as of an ox.
 Black rat Zool., one of the species of rats (Mus rattus), commonly infesting houses.
 Black rent. See Blackmail, n., 3.
 Black rust, a disease of wheat, in which a black, moist matter is deposited in the fissures of the grain.
 Black sheep, one in a family or company who is unlike the rest, and makes trouble.
 Black silver. Min. See under Silver.
 Black and tan, black mixed or spotted with tan color or reddish brown; -- used in describing certain breeds of dogs.
 Black tea. See under Tea.
 Black tin Mining, tin ore (cassiterite), when dressed, stamped and washed, ready for smelting. It is in the form of a black powder, like fine sand. --Knight.
 Black walnut. See under Walnut.
 Black warrior Zool., an American hawk (Buteo Harlani).
 Syn: -- Dark; murky; pitchy; inky; somber; dusky; gloomy; swart; Cimmerian; ebon; atrocious.
 Horse n.
 1. Zool. A hoofed quadruped of the genus Equus; especially, the domestic horse (Equus caballus), which was domesticated in Egypt and Asia at a very early period.  It has six broad molars, on each side of each jaw, with six incisors, and two canine teeth, both above and below. The mares usually have the canine teeth rudimentary or wanting. The horse differs from the true asses, in having a long, flowing mane, and the tail bushy to the base. Unlike the asses it has callosities, or chestnuts, on all its legs. The horse excels in strength, speed, docility, courage, and nobleness of character, and is used for drawing, carrying, bearing a rider, and like purposes.
 Note: ☞ Many varieties, differing in form, size, color, gait, speed, etc., are known, but all are believed to have been derived from the same original species. It is supposed to have been a native of the plains of Central Asia, but the wild species from which it was derived is not certainly known. The feral horses of America are domestic horses that have run wild; and it is probably true that most of those of Asia have a similar origin. Some of the true wild Asiatic horses do, however, approach the domestic horse in several characteristics.
    Several species of fossil (Equus) are known from the later Tertiary formations of Europe and America. The fossil species of other genera of the family Equidæ are also often called horses, in general sense.
 2. The male of the genus Equus, in distinction from the female or male; usually, a castrated male.
 3. Mounted soldiery; cavalry; -- used without the plural termination; as, a regiment of horse; -- distinguished from foot.
    The armies were appointed, consisting of twenty-five thousand horse and foot.   --Bacon.
 4. A frame with legs, used to support something; as, a clotheshorse, a sawhorse, etc.
 5. A frame of timber, shaped like a horse, on which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.
 6. Anything, actual or figurative, on which one rides as on a horse; a hobby.
 7. Mining A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse -- said of a vein -- is to divide into branches for a distance.
 8. Naut. (a) See Footrope, a. (b) A breastband for a leadsman. (c) An iron bar for a sheet traveler to slide upon. (d) A jackstay. --W. C. Russell. --Totten.
 9. Student Slang (a) A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination; -- called also trot, pony, Dobbin. (b) Horseplay; tomfoolery.
 Note: ☞ Horse is much used adjectively and in composition to signify of, or having to do with, a horse or horses, like a horse, etc.; as, horse collar, horse dealer or horse░dealer, horsehoe, horse jockey; and hence, often in the sense of strong, loud, coarse, etc.; as, horselaugh, horse nettle or horse-nettle, horseplay, horse ant, etc.
 Black horse, Blood horse, etc. See under Black, etc.
 Horse aloes, caballine aloes.
 Horse ant Zool., a large ant (Formica rufa); -- called also horse emmet.
 Horse artillery, that portion of the artillery in which the cannoneers are mounted, and which usually serves with the cavalry; flying artillery.
 Horse balm Bot., a strong-scented labiate plant (Collinsonia Canadensis), having large leaves and yellowish flowers.
 Horse bean Bot., a variety of the English or Windsor bean (Faba vulgaris), grown for feeding horses.
 Horse boat, a boat for conveying horses and cattle, or a boat propelled by horses.
 Horse bot. Zool. See Botfly, and Bots.
 Horse box, a railroad car for transporting valuable horses, as hunters. [Eng.]
 Horse breaker or Horse trainer, one employed in subduing or training horses for use.
 Horse car. (a) A railroad car drawn by horses. See under Car. (b) A car fitted for transporting horses.
 Horse cassia Bot., a leguminous plant (Cassia Javanica), bearing long pods, which contain a black, catharic pulp, much used in the East Indies as a horse medicine.
 Horse cloth, a cloth to cover a horse.
 Horse conch Zool., a large, spiral, marine shell of the genus Triton. See Triton.
 Horse courser. (a) One that runs horses, or keeps horses for racing. --Johnson. (b) A dealer in horses. [Obs.] --Wiseman.
 Horse crab Zool., the Limulus; -- called also horsefoot, horsehoe crab, and king crab.
 Horse crevallé Zool., the cavally.
 Horse emmet Zool., the horse ant.
 Horse finch Zool., the chaffinch. [Prov. Eng.]
 Horse gentian Bot., fever root.
 Horse iron Naut., a large calking iron.
 Horse latitudes, a space in the North Atlantic famous for calms and baffling winds, being between the westerly winds of higher latitudes and the trade winds. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.
 Horse mackrel. Zool. (a) The common tunny (Orcynus thunnus), found on the Atlantic coast of Europe and America, and in the Mediterranean. (b) The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). (c) The scad. (d) The name is locally applied to various other fishes, as the California hake, the black candlefish, the jurel, the bluefish, etc.
 Horse marine Naut., an awkward, lubbery person; one of a mythical body of marine cavalry. [Slang]
 Horse mussel Zool., a large, marine mussel (Modiola modiolus), found on the northern shores of Europe and America.
 Horse nettle Bot., a coarse, prickly, American herb, the Solanum Carolinense.
 Horse parsley. Bot. See Alexanders.
 Horse purslain Bot., a coarse fleshy weed of tropical America (Trianthema monogymnum).
 Horse race, a race by horses; a match of horses in running or trotting.
 Horse racing, the practice of racing with horses.
 Horse railroad, a railroad on which the cars are drawn by horses; -- in England, and sometimes in the United States, called a tramway.
 Horse run Civil Engin., a device for drawing loaded wheelbarrows up an inclined plane by horse power.
 Horse sense, strong common sense. [Colloq. U.S.]
 Horse soldier, a cavalryman.
 Horse sponge Zool., a large, coarse, commercial sponge (Spongia equina).
 Horse stinger Zool., a large dragon fly. [Prov. Eng.]
 Horse sugar Bot., a shrub of the southern part of the United States (Symplocos tinctoria), whose leaves are sweet, and good for fodder.
 Horse tick Zool., a winged, dipterous insect (Hippobosca equina), which troubles horses by biting them, and sucking their blood; -- called also horsefly, horse louse, and forest fly.
 Horse vetch Bot., a plant of the genus Hippocrepis (Hippocrepis comosa), cultivated for the beauty of its flowers; -- called also horsehoe vetch, from the peculiar shape of its pods.
 Iron horse, a locomotive. [Colloq.]
 Salt horse, the sailor's name for salt beef.
 To look a gift horse in the mouth, to examine the mouth of a horse which has been received as a gift, in order to ascertain his age; -- hence, to accept favors in a critical and thankless spirit. --Lowell.
 To take horse. (a) To set out on horseback. --Macaulay. (b) To be covered, as a mare. (c) See definition 7 (above).