black spot
1. Any of various diseases of plants or animals, producing black spots upon the diseased portions; esp. a disease of roses (see quot. 1889).
| 1889 Cent. Dict. I. 571/1 Black-spot, a disease of rose-bushes, characterized by diffuse, dark-colored spots on the upper surface of the leaves. It is caused by a parasitic fungus, Asteroma Rosæ. 1906 M. C. Cooke Fungoid Pests 50 Chrysanthemum Leaf-Spot... The black spot (Cylindrosporium Chrysanthemi) is very destructive in Canada. Ibid. 134 Peach Freckle..is known in the United States as ‘scab’ or ‘black spot’... The fungus is a kind of black mould which attacks ripe Peaches. 1910 F. C. Stewart in N.Y. Agric. Exper. Station Bull. CCCXXVIII. 364 Maple, Silver..Black Spot, Rhytisma acerinum..the characteristic tar-colored spots of which may be detected at a considerable distance. 1933 Jrnl. R. Hort. Soc. LVIII. 253 Black spot, the worst enemy of the rose. 1966 Punch 30 Mar. 462/1 Huge stocks of the munitions of bacterial warfare, of mildew and rust, black spot, botrytis and scab, are being made ready for immediate use at call. |
2. A place or area of trouble, anxiety, or danger; esp. a dangerous section of a road.
| 1925 Daily Herald 30 June 2/3 Against general and protracted depression in the ‘black spots’, they might..set..improvement in the trades. 1936 Discovery Nov. 355/2 The development of newer industries is vital to the recovery of our distressed areas, which remain the one black spot in the otherwise remarkable position of Great Britain. 1937 Daily Herald 5 Jan. 7/4 Road-crossing improvements at ‘black spots’ throughout London. 1940 R. Morrish Police & Crime-Detection i. 20 ‘Black spots’ are easily recognized by recording the districts and streets where, for example, housebreaking takes place. 1959 Listener 6 Aug. 208/2 You begin to see what are the black spots, that is to say, where accidents do in fact happen. |