black diamonds
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Coals; talented persons of dingy or unpolished exterior; rough jewels.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
than đá; người có tài năng nhưng bề ngoài kém lộng lẫy
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “black diamonds” mean?
Coals; talented persons of dingy or unpolished exterior; rough jewels.
Is “black diamonds” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.