WordPlay Wanderings: BLACKBALL
The word blackball has appeared in many Spelling Bees. What does it mean?
In earlier days, rejection from a gentleman’s club was carried out with genteel grace, with quaint devices designed to preserve the dignity and protect the identity not of the shamed, but of those who administered the shame.
In earlier days, rejection from a gentleman’s club was carried out with genteel grace, with quaint devices designed to preserve the dignity and protect the identity not of the shamed, but of those who administered the shame.
If a member had egregiously violated club rules, or offended society or the norms of gentlemanly behavior, he would risk being blackballed, or voted out of the club, and might even be forcibly ejected onto the street.
This formal act of ostracism was done by secret ballot, with each member choosing either a white ball (signifying forgiveness and a wish not to eject) or a black ball (signifying unforgiveness and rejection).
Each member would stealthily drop his chosen ball into a locked ballot box like the one shown here, then the box would be opened and the votes tallied.
When a preponderance of the balls was black, the offending member was “blackballed” and suffered whatever consequences the membership imposed. There was no second chance, no retraction of furtive votes. Blackballed.
Voting with colored balls using ballot boxes of this sort originated in Italy; the little ball was called a ballotta, or little ball. Though we now use more modern technologies in public elections, we still use a ballot (electronic or paper) to register our vote, and the word comes directly from that old Italian word.
To see more examples of old ballot boxes used for this purpose, search “blackball ballot box” in google images.
LexiConnexxions has indexed blackball and other words about social customs and behaviors in the LexiTopic People: Engagement & Interaction, HERE. Bee words about campaigns and elections are indexed in the LexiTopic Government, Civics, & Politics, HERE.
This formal act of ostracism was done by secret ballot, with each member choosing either a white ball (signifying forgiveness and a wish not to eject) or a black ball (signifying unforgiveness and rejection).
Each member would stealthily drop his chosen ball into a locked ballot box like the one shown here, then the box would be opened and the votes tallied.
When a preponderance of the balls was black, the offending member was “blackballed” and suffered whatever consequences the membership imposed. There was no second chance, no retraction of furtive votes. Blackballed.
Voting with colored balls using ballot boxes of this sort originated in Italy; the little ball was called a ballotta, or little ball. Though we now use more modern technologies in public elections, we still use a ballot (electronic or paper) to register our vote, and the word comes directly from that old Italian word.
To see more examples of old ballot boxes used for this purpose, search “blackball ballot box” in google images.
LexiConnexxions has indexed blackball and other words about social customs and behaviors in the LexiTopic People: Engagement & Interaction, HERE. Bee words about campaigns and elections are indexed in the LexiTopic Government, Civics, & Politics, HERE.
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