To reject or exclude someone from membership in a club or group, originally by voting with a black ball.
From the practice of secret voting using black and white balls—a white ball was yes, a black ball was no. Originated in Renaissance Venice and spread through European clubs.
The blackball voting system was one of history's first anonymous voting methods! It's the origin of the phrase 'blackballed,' and it shows how voting was so important that clubs created elaborate systems to keep votes secret.
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