dark horse

1. Someone who unexpectedly wins a competition. Nobody thought Cheri could win the race after breaking her leg last year, but she turned out to be a dark horse and took first place. No one thought the brash newcomer would be a threat to the established candidates, but he's turning out to be a real dark horse in this campaign.

2. Someone whose skills, abilities, plans, or intentions are or had been unapparent to others. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Angela was suddenly viewed as a dark horse when she displayed her beautiful sculptures at the art fair. Nobody knew she had such artistic talent.

See also: dark, horse

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dark horse

Fig. someone or something whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others. (From a race horse about which little or nothing is known.) It's difficult to predict who will win the prize—there are two or three dark horses in the tournament. Everyone was surprised at the results of the election. The dark horse won.

See also: dark, horse

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

dark horse

A little known, unexpectedly successful entrant, as in You never can tell-some dark horse may come along and win a Senate seat. This metaphoric expression originally alluded to an unknown horse winning a race and was so used in a novel by Benjamin Disraeli ( The Young Duke, 1831). It soon began to be transferred to political candidates, among the first of whom was James K. Polk. He won the 1844 Democratic Presidential nomination on the eighth ballot and went on to win the election.

See also: dark, horse

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a dark horse

COMMON

1. If you describe someone as a dark horse, you mean that you have just discovered something about them, especially a skill or an achievement, that they had not told you about. I didn't know Clare could sing like that. She's a dark horse. What a lot of friends from the past you have — you really are a dark horse, Robert!

2. A dark horse is someone who wins a contest, race, etc when they were not expected to. Czech Karel Novacek, the dark horse of the international tennis circuit, beat his opponent 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Note: You can also use dark horse before a noun. William Randolph Hearst had briefly been a dark horse candidate for President in 1908. Note: This expression may refer to a horse which people do not know very much about, so that it is difficult to predict how well it will do in a race.

See also: dark, horse

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a dark horse

a person, especially a competitor, about whom little is known.

The expression was originally horse-racing slang. The earliest recorded use was by Benjamin Disraeli in 1831 : ‘A dark horse, which had never been thought of…rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph’.

See also: dark, horse

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a dark ˈhorse

(British English) a person who does not tell other people much about their life, and who surprises other people by having interesting qualities: You’re a dark horse! I had no idea you could play the piano so well.This phrase comes from horse racing. A dark horse was a horse that nobody knew much about and later came to mean somebody who wins a race unexpectedly.

See also: dark, horse

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

dark horse

1. n. an unknown entrant into a contest; a surprise candidate for political office. The party is hoping that a dark horse will appear before the election.

2. mod. previously unknown. A dark horse player can win if all the others are creeps.

See also: dark, horse

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

dark horse, a

An unexpected potential winner. The term dates from the nineteenth century and comes from racing, where a horse is termed “dark” when its ancestry and history are unknown. It was so used by Benjamin Disraeli in his novel, The Young Duke (1831), but the precise origin is obscure. Some think it comes from the owner’s dyeing a horse’s hair to disguise it and so get better odds; others cite the practice of a particular American horse trader who made his fast black stallion look like an ordinary saddle horse, rode into town, set up a race, and consistently came out a winner. The term was soon transferred to political candidates on both sides of the Atlantic. The first American presidential dark horse was James Polk, who won the 1844 Democratic nomination only on the eighth ballot and went on to become president.

词组	dark horse
释义	dark horse dark horse 1. Someone who unexpectedly wins a competition. Nobody thought Cheri could win the race after breaking her leg last year, but she turned out to be a dark horse and took first place. No one thought the brash newcomer would be a threat to the established candidates, but he's turning out to be a real dark horse in this campaign. 2. Someone whose skills, abilities, plans, or intentions are or had been unapparent to others. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Angela was suddenly viewed as a dark horse when she displayed her beautiful sculptures at the art fair. Nobody knew she had such artistic talent. See also: dark, horse Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. dark horse Fig. someone or something whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others. (From a race horse about which little or nothing is known.) It's difficult to predict who will win the prize—there are two or three dark horses in the tournament. Everyone was surprised at the results of the election. The dark horse won. See also: dark, horse McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. dark horse A little known, unexpectedly successful entrant, as in You never can tell-some dark horse may come along and win a Senate seat. This metaphoric expression originally alluded to an unknown horse winning a race and was so used in a novel by Benjamin Disraeli ( The Young Duke, 1831). It soon began to be transferred to political candidates, among the first of whom was James K. Polk. He won the 1844 Democratic Presidential nomination on the eighth ballot and went on to win the election. See also: dark, horse The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. a dark horse COMMON 1. If you describe someone as a dark horse, you mean that you have just discovered something about them, especially a skill or an achievement, that they had not told you about. I didn't know Clare could sing like that. She's a dark horse. What a lot of friends from the past you have — you really are a dark horse, Robert! 2. A dark horse is someone who wins a contest, race, etc when they were not expected to. Czech Karel Novacek, the dark horse of the international tennis circuit, beat his opponent 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Note: You can also use dark horse before a noun. William Randolph Hearst had briefly been a dark horse candidate for President in 1908. Note: This expression may refer to a horse which people do not know very much about, so that it is difficult to predict how well it will do in a race. See also: dark, horse Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. a dark horse a person, especially a competitor, about whom little is known. The expression was originally horse-racing slang. The earliest recorded use was by Benjamin Disraeli in 1831 : ‘A dark horse, which had never been thought of…rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph’. See also: dark, horse Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary a dark ˈhorse (British English) a person who does not tell other people much about their life, and who surprises other people by having interesting qualities: You’re a dark horse! I had no idea you could play the piano so well.This phrase comes from horse racing. A dark horse was a horse that nobody knew much about and later came to mean somebody who wins a race unexpectedly. See also: dark, horse Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary dark horse 1. n. an unknown entrant into a contest; a surprise candidate for political office. The party is hoping that a dark horse will appear before the election. 2. mod. previously unknown. A dark horse player can win if all the others are creeps. See also: dark, horse McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions dark horse, a An unexpected potential winner. The term dates from the nineteenth century and comes from racing, where a horse is termed “dark” when its ancestry and history are unknown. It was so used by Benjamin Disraeli in his novel, The Young Duke (1831), but the precise origin is obscure. Some think it comes from the owner’s dyeing a horse’s hair to disguise it and so get better odds; others cite the practice of a particular American horse trader who made his fast black stallion look like an ordinary saddle horse, rode into town, set up a race, and consistently came out a winner. The term was soon transferred to political candidates on both sides of the Atlantic. The first American presidential dark horse was James Polk, who won the 1844 Democratic nomination only on the eighth ballot and went on to become president. See also: dark The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: dark horse, a a dark horse pull the rug pull the rug (out) from under (someone) pull the rug (out) from under (someone's) feet pull the rug from under pull the rug from under someone/something pull the rug out pull the rug out from under as it turned out References in periodicals archive Dark Horse, however, remains near the front of the pack. A comic approach Jurors who found that Katy Perry and her team improperly copied her 2013 hit "Dark Horse" will now decide how much they owe a Christian rapper and his co-writers. Jury told Katy Perry hit 'Dark Horse' earned $41M Testimony about Capitol Records' costs in creating and promoting "Dark Horse" will begin today. Jury in copyright case told Katy Perry hit earned $41M Paul Maders, executive chef at the British Oak and Dark Horse, will help devise the menu. Raise a glass to new wine bar with a PS1,000 vintage bottle; MAY OPENING FOR UPMARKET VENUE Dark Horse, which is now looking to recruit actors to train with them from September, is the only theatre company in the UK which produces new writing featuring actors with learning disabilities. A DRAMATIC FINALE; PS75,000 grant saves company after theatre cuts Janet and Brian Vokes with Dream Alliance in an image from the documentary film Dark Horse Dream premiere night for Dark Horse film Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported that song 'Joyful Noise' had been irreparably tarnished by its association with the witchcraft, paganism, black magic, and Illuminati imagery evoked by the same music in 'Dark Horse'. Katy Perry sued by Christian rapper for ripping off his song in 'Dark Horse' Editor on "Exile To Babylon." Scott, who became Editor-In-Chief in October 2012 for Dark Horse Comics, has been famously known for his work on "Hellboy," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," "Star Wars," etc. Helen Darras, Licensor/Producer for Dark Horse Comics Graphic Novel "Exile To Babylon" Making Guest Appearance at 2013 MCM London England Comic Con, Oct. 25-27 BRITISH boxing legend Ricky Hatton believes Jazza Dickens is the "dark horse" of the super-bantamweight division. Hatton hails Dickens Best shades are Dark Horse, a dark shimmering brown, and Side Car, golden brown. 5 ways to look... Strictly with; Beauty Talk With Pixiwoo Britain's top make-up team create celeb looks for you. RED Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner feels an overlooked Mark Webber is the dark horse of this season's Formula One world title battle. Ignored Webber's waiting to pounce; FORMULA ONE It's often worth backing the dark horse and that could be the case with the musical feast that is Carmina Burana. Its mane attraction is a bit of a mystery This is sure to be both popular and prize-winning, and it makes an interesting companion to two other recent YA novels about the viking raids, Raven of the Waves by Michael Cadnum and The Dark Horse by Marcus Sedgwick. Farmer, Nancy. The sea of trolls SOLDAT (4.10), a Grand National dark horse from the powerful Paul Nicholls stable, is fancied to make a winning seasonal debut at Folkestone on Tuesday. Racing: Soldat to storm in Barb Lennox, Gaburlen's president and general manager, admits that if the group had known what was entailed they might never have started to develop their game, called Dark Horse Classic. Partners learn that marketing is no game
随便看	Mr./Ms./Mrs. Moneybags Mr Nice Guy Mr. Nice Guy Mr. Right Mr Right Mrs Mrs. Astor's pet horse Mrs. Astor's plush horse Mrs. Grundy Mrs. Murphy MRW Mr. Whiskers ms MSM MTE MTFBWY much much ado about nothing much as much as/though much in evidence much ink has been spilled much less muchness mucho