dark lantern

American  

noun

1. a lantern having an opening with a shutter that can be slid across the opening to obscure the light.

---

dark lantern British  

noun

1. a lantern having a sliding shutter or panel to dim or hide the light

---

Etymology

Origin of dark lantern

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

He flayed the Administration for what he called its "dark lantern diplomacy."

From Time Magazine Archive

He then lit a dark lantern and pointed to the coffin.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

A dark lantern was uncovered, and its light fell on the astonished face of the farmer.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Upon examining the premises they found, in a second adjoining small room, a pair of slippers with the name of Sellis on them, and a dark lantern.

From Secret History of the Court of England, from the Accession of George the Third to the Death of George the Fourth, Volume I (of 2) Including, Among Other Important Matters, Full Particulars of the Mysterious Death of the Princess Charlotte by Hamilton, Lady Anne

In the first place the men possessed no dark lantern, so that they carried naked candles flaring in their hands as they crawled through the restricted spaces between the cargo and the deck overhead.

From The Log of a Sea-Waif Being Recollections of the First Four Years of My Sea Life by Bullen, Frank T.