wildcat
4
9.3
An oil well drilled in a place not known to have oil
- noun
- /ˈwaɪldˌkæt/
- Specialized
:
pozo exploratorio
- Explorers often drill a wildcat well to test new areas for potential oil reserves.
Examples
-
The oil company decided to invest in a wildcat well in hopes of striking it rich.
-
There is a joke from the early days of the oil business: a geologist reporting back on drilling a wildcat exploratory well says, "The bad news is that we didn't find oil."
Academic text (2003) -
Wildcat drilling results establish the level of subsequent interest shown in a prospect.
Academic text (1991) -
After years of searching, they finally found a promising site for their next wildcat operation.
Synonyms
19
2.8
A deep hole in the ground that brings up oil
focuses on exploration in unknown areas rather than routine extraction
8.2
A well drilled to find oil in a new area
is the same exploratory drilling but as a single compound phrase
Compounds
How Risky
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word wildcat for an oil well comes from risky drillers who looked for oil in places where none was known, like hunters searching for a wild cat in unknown ground. That's why a wildcat well is an exploratory, risky well.