blackball

n.

1. A negative vote, especially one that blocks the admission of an applicant to an organization.
2. A small black ball used as a negative ballot.

tr.v., -balled, -ball·ing, -balls.

1. To vote against, especially to veto the admission of.
2. To shut out from social or commercial participation; ostracize or boycott.

blackballer black'ball'er n.

SYNONYMS   blackball, blacklist, boycott, ostracize. These verbs mean to exclude from social, professional, or commercial activities: blackballed by the fraternity; blacklisted because of her political beliefs; a threat to boycott the product; ostracized following the harassment charges.
ANTONYM  admit

(BLAK-bawl)

verb tr.
1. To vote against, especially to prevent someone from joining a club or a group.
2. To ostracize or boycott.

noun
A negative vote.

Etymology
From black + ball. From the former practice of depositing a white ball or a black ball as a ballot to vote for or against a candidate.

Usage
"But Mohammad Reza Khatami - who was deputy parliament speaker and among more than 2,400 candidates blackballed from Friday's elections - warned against public demonstrations to demand change, saying Iranians have no appetite for another revolution." — Brian Murphy; Khatami: Iran Doesn't Want Revolution; Kansas City Star (Missouri); Feb 18, 2004. "(Fernando) Ricksen's ban kicks in immediately, blackballing him from Rangers' next two matches against Dundee and Dunfermline." — Keith Jackson; Football: Fernan-doh; Daily Record (Glasgow, UK); Mar 17, 2004.

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verb

1. To prevent or forbid authoritatively: negative, turn down, veto. Slang nix. Idioms: turn thumbs down on. See accept/reject.
2. To exclude from normal social or professional activities: blacklist, boycott, ostracize, shut out. See accept/reject.

A rejection of an applicant's membership in a private organization, such as a club or fraternity. The term is derived from the traditional practice of members voting anonymously on admitting new members, using either a white marble (acceptance) or a black marble (denial). Acceptance must be unanimous; therefore, one black marble in the ballot box is enough to keep the applicant out of the organization.

The term is now applied generally to efforts — especially unreasonable or vengeful actions — to keep a people or groups out of organizations they wish to join.

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - afvise, udelukke
n. - sort kugle

Nederlands (Dutch)
kandidaat wegstemmen, zwart balletje voor tegenstem, tegenstemming

Français (French)
v. tr. - blackbouler
n. - vote contre

Deutsch (German)
v. - stimmen gegen
n. - Gegenstimme

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - καταψηφίζω, μαυρίζω
n. - αρνητική ψήφος, καταψήφιση

Italiano (Italian)
votare contro, voto contrario, voto segreto

Português (Portuguese)
v. - votar contra, banir
n. - voto (m) contrário

Русский (Russian)
забаллотировать, предать остракизму, тайное голосование против кого-либо

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - votar en contra, boicotear
n. - bola negra

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - rösta mot, förkasta, svartlista
n. - svart kula, nejröst, nejsedel

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
投票反对, 排斥, 反对票

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 投票反對, 排斥
n. - 反對票

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - ~에 반대 투표를 하다, ~을 배척하다
n. - 반대 투표, 검은 공

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 反対投票する, 除名する
n. - 反対投票, 黒球

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) صوت ضده (الاسم) صوت مضاد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הצביע (בהצבעה חשאית) נגד מועמד, נידה מהחברה‬
n. - ‮הצבעה חשאית נגד מועמד‬

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