dark horse en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Originally an allusion to an unknown horse with a dark coat winning a race, as used in the 1831 novel The Young Duke by Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881).
Meanings
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(idiomatic) Someone who possesses talents or favorable characteristics that are not known or expected by others.
“Well!” Genevieve laughs – the kind of bright, trilling laugh you give when you’re really quite annoyed about something. “Ed, you are a dark horse! I had no idea you had a girlfriend!”
2009, Sophie Kinsella, Twenties Girl: A Novel, London: Black Swan, published 2010, →ISBN, page 183:‘She’s a dark horse,’ he said. ‘She knows just as much about climbing mountains as you or I. In fact, she was ahead of me the whole time, and I lost her.’
1952, Daphne Du Maurier, “Monte Verità”, in The Apple Tree:As she pulled the door closed behind her, she heard the nurse say, “Well! You’re a dark horse, I must say! Do you know that extraordinary-looking girl?”
2005, Steve Augarde, Celandine, London: Corgi Books, published 2006, →ISBN, page 13:
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(idiomatic) A candidate for an election who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice.
That left Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69 — a quiet American dark horse who had, surprisingly, emerged in the evening’s vote — as a source of particular interest.
2025 May 11, Jason Horowitz, Emma Bubola, Elizabeth Dias, Patricia Mazzei, “How a Quiet American Cardinal Became Pope”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- A horse whose capabilities are not known.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dark, horse.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dark horses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
underdog · black sheep · black horse
Translations (32)
hsb čorny kóń (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · pl cicha woda (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · id kuda hitam (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · el σιγανό ποτάμι (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · pl czarny koń (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · is leyna á sér (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · it outsider (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · uk темна конячка (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · et must hobune (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · ja 穴馬 (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · cs černý kůň (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · fr outsider (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · ru тёмная лоша́дка (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · es tapado (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · cmn 黑馬 /黑马 (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · hi काला चोर (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · pl czarny koń (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · th ม้ามืด (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · be цёмны конік (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · hi छिपा रुस्तम (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · hu sötét ló (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · sk čierny kôň (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · cmn 黑馬 /黑马 (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · it acqua cheta (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · it cavallo nero (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · es tapado (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · fi musta hevonen (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · th ม้ามืด (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics) · ja 惑星 (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · ru тёмная лоша́дка (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · et must hobune (unexpectedly nominated candidate) · fi musta hevonen (possessor of unexpected talents or favorable characteristics)