Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various dark-colored, chiefly nonvenomous snakes, such as the black racer or a black-colored rat snake.
  • noun A long, tapering, braided rawhide or leather whip with a snapper on the end.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of several relatively harmless North American snakes.
  • noun US A long, tapering whip.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun large harmless shiny black North American snake
  • noun blackish racer of the eastern United States that grows to six feet

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From black +‎ snake.

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Examples

  • An animal control officer removed a healthy blacksnake from a woman's basement and returned it to the wild.

    Prince George's County Animal Watch Post 2010

  • Karayilan -- his name is Turkish for "blacksnake" -- is a hunted man.

    Into the Blacksnake's Lair 2007

  • Maurice gathered the lines firmly, seized his "blacksnake," and, with a low whistle, urged his animals, that bounded forward, snorting with fear as a crack of thunder followed, booming down the gorges with deafening echoes.

    The Shagganappi 1913

  • The overseer, a great strong man, cracking his "blacksnake" from time to time, to enforce authority, excited our strong indignation.

    'Three Score Years and Ten' Life-Long Memories of Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and Other Parts of the West Charlotte Ouisconsin Clark Van Cleve 1863

  • "blacksnake," and, with a low whistle, urged his animals, that bounded forward, snorting with fear as a crack of thunder followed, booming down the gorges with deafening echoes.

    The Shagganappi E. Pauline Johnson 1887

  • The rope, fast to the block and following it, lashed about like a blacksnake, and, though the block fell clear of Mr. Mellaire, the bight of the rope snatched off his cap.

    CHAPTER XLII 2010

  • An animal control officer removed a healthy blacksnake found in the living room of a residence and returned it to the wild.

    Prince George's County Animal Watch 2010

  • An officer removed a healthy blacksnake and returned it to the wild.

    Prince George's County Animal Watch 2010

  • An officer removed a healthy blacksnake and returned it to the wild.

    Prince George's County Animal Watch 2010

  • A humane society field agent was dispatched in response to a homeowner's call to the division about a large blacksnake in a bathroom.

    Montgomery County Animal Watch 2010

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