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

Equivalents

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