black ink
noun
: a business profit or surplus
While battered rivals … are only now glimpsing black ink, Cisco is racking up record profits.
Peter Burrows, Business Week, 24 Nov. 2003
: the condition of showing a profit Peter Burrows, Business Week, 24 Nov. 2003Corporations … have realized that green behavior can mean black ink … Sharon Begley, Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2000
compare red ink Sharon Begley, Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2000
Word History
Etymology
from the use of black ink in financial statements to indicate a profit
First Known Use
1932, in the meaning defined above
- longinglier
- longingliest
- longingly
- longingness
- longings
- Longinian
- longinquity
- Longinus
- longirostrine
- longisection
- longish
- longisher
- longishest
- longitude
- longitude by account
- longitude by dead reckoning
- longitude of node
- longitude of perihelion
- longitude signal
- longitudes
- longitudinal
- longitudinal bulkhead
- longitudinal crevasse
- longitudinal fault
- longitudinal framing