greyball
v. To blackball someone temporarily or provisionally.
Also Seen As
Etymology
Examples
2017
Uber announced this evening that it will stop using its “greyballing” tool to prevent local regulators and law enforcement from catching the company violating local taxi regulations.
—Jordan Golson, “Uber will stop 'greyballing' government regulators,” The Verge, March 08, 2017
2016
I heard that she got like lowkey blackballed (greyballed, I guess?) after the film because Lee Daniels said she was really hard to work with.
—SaintTommiAquinas, “Bew bew! Go on and get me my cigarettes! Sending love : teenmom,” Reddit, December 20, 2016
2016
Today I coined the term "greyballing", the condition between being blackballed and being supported fully.
—Ryan S. Dancey, “Today I coined…,” Twitter, October 03, 2016
2015 (earliest)
Per our local constitution, we require a blackball vote 4 weeks prior to initiation. It takes only three balls to prevent a pledge from initiating, regardless of the number of men in the chapter (we hang around 40, but are low at the moment). We also require a grayball vote 4 weeks prior to blackball, which the big brothers use to know if there are grievances that members of the chapter may have with the pledges that may prevent them from initiating.
—bstCASEscenario, “Percentage to blackball?,” Reddit, September 02, 2015
Notes
And Jennifer Grey, who continues to play her actress self, manages to get herself "Greyballed" after upsetting a Harvard graduate.
—“It's like, You Know: Memories Of Me,” The Age, December 19, 1999
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