Meaning of eight-ball | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A pocket billiards (pool) game played with sixteen balls (a cue ball and fifteen object balls) on a pool table with six pockets.
   uncountable
2. The billiard ball, almost always black, bearing the number eight.
   countable
3. A portion of cocaine or methamphetamine weighing ¹⁄₈ of an ounce, or 3.5 grams.
   countable, slang
4. A black person.
   countable, ethnic, slang, slur
5. A spherical attitude indicator.
   countable, slang
6. A kind of spherical microphone.
   countable

Examples

“(a policeman confiding to a friend) ".. She had welts and bruises all over. So, one night we get called out there again, and I slip down their hallway and stuff two eight balls in his closet. Turns out he was on parole. He goes back to jail, she's safe, and I slept like a baby."”

“When a white fellow gets in the ring with an eight ball the eight ball's got no chance. You see, 'cause they call boxing the sweet science. And that's where your colored just runs into trouble. That's just that science part. Yeah, but Joe Louis is a big 'un.”

“The angle-of-attack error indicator, located to the right of the attitude "eight-ball," requires some explanation.”

“He kept his eyes outside, stole a few glances at the "eight ball" attitude indictors^([sic]) inside, and relied on Irwin's callouts.”

CEFR level