black mark

Black mark was the shoulder to the head of Tom Lynagh in Sydney.

The FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program of the 1950s and 1960s, he said, was considered a particular black mark on federal law enforcement because of its covert and illegal activities, such as violating people’s constitutional rights, engaging in violence and conducting in secretive operations for political reasons.

That would spare Boeing from a criminal record, a black mark that would complicate its dealings as a contractor for the government.

The theft of the gun while he was out of the guardhouse will be another black mark.

Allowing this symposium to proceed along the lines laid out in the announcement will be a black mark for Stanford in the scientific community.