a wild-cat scheme
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A rash and hazardous financial venture; a speculation in which one would have about as much chance of making a profit as of catching a wild-cat in the woods.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a wild-cat scheme” mean?
A rash and hazardous financial venture; a speculation in which one would have about as much chance of making a profit as of catching a wild-cat in the woods.
Is “a wild-cat scheme” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.