DARK HORSE Definition & Meaning

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dark horse

noun

a racehorse, competitor, etc., about whom little is known or who unexpectedly wins.
a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated at a political convention.

dark horse

noun

a competitor in a race or contest about whom little is known; an unknown
a person who reveals little about himself or his activities, esp one who has unexpected talents or abilities
politics a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated or elected

dark horse

An unexpected winner. In politics, a dark horse is a candidate for office considered unlikely to receive his or her party's nomination, but who might be nominated if party leaders cannot agree on a better candidate.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of dark horse¹

First recorded in 1825–35

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Idioms and Phrases

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Former England wing Ugo Monye believes he is a "dark horse" to go on tour, with his ability to play centre also enhancing his chances.

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“Little by little, people started to talk about it, and it became this dark horse in the middle of big films.”

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Though he hasn’t campaigned, and while he was completely unknown to the other cardinals prior to their gathering, by the time Benítez addresses the group, he’s the dark horse of the election.

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Straightaway, though, its clear he’s not even close to be a favorite; and he’s barely a dark horse.

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I thought former NFL quarterback Alex Smith might emerge as a dark horse candidate for president since he had past success as a Commander and Chief.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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