Wildcat

English Meaning

Unsound; worthless; irresponsible; unsafe; -- said to have been originally applied to the notes of an insolvent bank in Michigan upon which there was the figure of a panther.

1. Any of various wild felines of small to medium size, especially of the genus Lynx, including the bobcat and the caracal.
2. Either of two small felines (Felis silvestris subsp. silvestris or subsp. lybica) of Europe, Asia, and Africa, often regarded as being the ancestor of the domestic cat.
3. A quick-tempered person.
4. A person regarded as fierce.
5. An oil or natural-gas well drilled in an area not known to be productive.
6. A workers' strike unauthorized by their union.
7. Risky or unsound, especially financially.
8. Issued by a financially irresponsible bank: wildcat currency.
9. Operating or accomplished outside the norms of standard, ethical business procedures: wildcat life insurance schemes.
10. Of, relating to, or being an oil or natural-gas well drilled speculatively in an area not known to be productive.
11. Undertaken by workers without approval of the officials of their union: a wildcat strike.
12. To prospect for (oil, for example) in an area supposed to be unproductive.
13. To prospect for oil or other minerals in an area not known to be productive.
14. To go out on an unauthorized labor strike.