| 释义 |
black·mail
I. \ˈblakˌmāl\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: black (I) + mail (tribute)
1. : a tribute of money or commodities exacted in the 16th and early 17th centuries in the north of England and south of Scotland by freebooting chiefs for protection or immunity from pillage
2. : extortion of money or anything of value by threats especially of subjecting someone to criminal prosecution or revealing something injurious to his reputation : something of value extorted by such threats
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
: to extort money or anything of value from by threats especially of subjecting someone to criminal prosecution or revealing something injurious to his reputation
< his former mistress tried to blackmail him >
: compel to act in a particular way by threats
< blackmail a government employee into giving secrets to the enemy >
• black·mail·er \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ə(r)\ noun |