blacklegging

Etymology

From blackleg + -ing.

blacklegging means the practice of working in place of those who are engaged in a strike. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.

Why “blacklegging” is a great word

BLACKLEGGING — [Noun] The act of working or providing labor in place of striking workers, thereby undermining collective action. From blackleg (a derogatory term for a strikebreaker or a swindler, itself from black + leg, with 'leg' perhaps in the sense of 'to bow, to be obsequious' or as a reference to dishonest gamblers wearing black leggings) + the noun-forming suffix -ing. Unlike strikebreaking, a formal and neutral descriptor, or scabbing, a blunt and visceral slang, blacklegging is an informal condemnation steeped in the historical taint of class betrayal and swindling. It is the sound of a solitary cart rolling through a silent picket line, the sight of a stranger's loom clattering in a silenced mill, and the indelible, communal memory of a name struck from the roll—a transaction where the wage is paid in the currency of lasting contempt.

noun

The practice of working in place of those who are engaged in a strike.