Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of prospecting, as for ores or minerals. See the extract under wildcatter.

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

  • verb Present participle of wildcat.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The Plan: Before becoming one of America's most iconic oilmen, T. Boone Pickens spent his youth wildcatting, which is the practice of drilling semi-random holes in the ground in search of oil.

    MyLinkVault Newest Links 2008

  • But the Goldman Sachs accusations, whatever they lead to, only point up what we've all known for quite some time: that certain cultures, hothouse though they may be, breed a kind of wildcatting that seems now to be endemic to our human nature.

    Culture Zohn Off the C(H)uff: Lucy Prebble, Enron Playwright Awaits Her Broadway Debut 2010

  • But the Goldman Sachs accusations, whatever they lead to, only point up what we've all known for quite some time: that certain cultures, hothouse though they may be, breed a kind of wildcatting that seems now to be endemic to our human nature.

    Patricia Zohn: Culture Zohn Off the C(H)uff: Lucy Prebble, Enron Playwright Awaits Her Broadway Debut 2010

  • Indeed, on July 1, when The Wall Street Journal reported on the SEC's new proactive "wildcatting" program of looking out for scams without hard proof of wrongdoing, it explained that the program was created "after New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer exposed a number of abusive anti-investor practices in the securities markets, upstaging the SEC."

    The Crusader 2004

  • Indeed, on July 1, when The Wall Street Journal reported on the SEC's new proactive "wildcatting" program of looking out for scams without hard proof of wrongdoing, it explained that the program was created "after New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer exposed a number of abusive anti-investor practices in the securities markets, upstaging the SEC."

    The Crusader 2004

  • Page, whose nickname was Lefty, started at F&S at just the time that the great wildcatting epidemic began.

    What We Can Learn From Lefty 2009

  • I have to admit that I would hate to see any restriction on handloading ammunition as wildcatting new cartriges is part of American sporting tradition.

    Your Inauguration Reaction 2009

  • This reckless wildcatting and lax regulatory culture has to end.

    Peter Lehner: Six Months After the Spill, What We Still Need to Do to Prevent Another Disaster Peter Lehner 2010

  • I own an oil & gas operations and management company that has operations, including wildcatting, in Texas, New Mexico, and Alabama.

    New NASA Admin Rumors - NASA Watch 2009

  • I have to admit that I would hate to see any restriction on handloading ammunition as wildcatting new cartriges is part of American sporting tradition.

    Your Inauguration Reaction 2009

Comments

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  • Law enforcement officials have had a good track record of catching unlicensed van or bus operators carrying individuals who cross over the border out of the county, a process known as 'wildcatting.' (From Double-Tongued Dictionary)

    June 10, 2008