dated Completely black; totally without light or color. Refers to the black iron knocker on the door of Newgate Prison in London. Primarily heard in UK. The basement gives me the creeps, it's as black as Newgate's knocker down there!
A country bumpkin. One of the many terms that city slickers applied to less sophisticated rural dwellers (“rube,” “hayseed,” and “Gomer” are others). The phrase came from fruit harvesters using long sticks to dislodge the hanging crop.