dark lantern (plural dark lanterns)

1. A lantern with a panel that slides to block the light.
   • 1879, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert; Arthur Sullivan, composer, “With cat-like tread”, in The Pirates of Penzance  […], Philadelphia: J.M. Stoddart & Co., published 1880, OCLC 1013339033 ↗, page 35 ↗:

     Your silent matches, / Your dark-lantern seize; / Take your file and your skeleton keys!

   • 1892, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Red-Headed League”, in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, OCLC 02541507 ↗, page 51 ↗:

     In the meantime, Mr. Merryweather, we must put the screen over that dark lantern.

   • 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 1022:

     The old monk who was the night-janitor of the monastery now appeared bearing in his hand a dark-lantern and a wattle basket with some fruit and a bowl of rice.

• German: Blendlaterne, Diebslaterne
• Russian: потайно́й  фона́рь