dark horse
dark horse — noun
1. a person who hides their interests, talents, or personal life from others, often
a person who hides their interests, talents, or personal life from others, often surprising people when those things are later revealed
Everyone thought Mia was quiet, but she was a dark horse who spoke three languages fluently.
phrase: be a dark horse (who…)
The new accountant turned out to be a dark horse with a black belt in karate.
collocation: a dark horse with [hidden talent]
Adisa is a bit of a dark horse — he never mentions his award-winning photography.
Uncle Felipe proved a dark horse at dinner when he played Chopin from memory.
- unknown quantity
focuses on the lack of information rather than intentional secrecy
- sleeping giant
suggests great potential that has not yet been activated
- open book
someone who shares everything about themselves freely
文法句型
a dark horse
a bit of a dark horse
用法筆記
Often preceded by 'a bit of a' to describe someone who is somewhat secretive. The subject is usually a person who appears ordinary or shy on the surface.
常見錯誤
2. a competitor, team, or candidate that is not expected to win a race, election, o
a competitor, team, or candidate that is not expected to win a race, election, or contest but does surprisingly well or wins completely unexpectedly
The Brazilian team were the dark horse of the tournament and went on to win the final.
pattern: the dark horse of [event]
Roya's horse was a dark horse that few bettors had noticed before the race.
Analysts called the candidate a dark horse, but she won the election by a wide margin.
In the chess championship, the 16-year-old from Nigeria was the dark horse who defeated the grandmaster.
Their small company was the dark horse of the industry until their product became a global hit.
- underdog
focuses on disadvantage and often attracts sympathy; a dark horse focuses on surprise and low visibility
- long shot
emphasises low probability of winning; more informal than dark horse
- surprise contender
a direct description without the idiomatic feel
- favourite
the competitor expected to win
- front-runner
the leading competitor in a race or contest
文法句型
be the dark horse of [event]
be a dark horse
用法筆記
Frequently used in sports reporting and political commentary. The competitor does not have to win outright — performing far better than expected is enough to be called a dark horse.
常見錯誤
3. a political candidate who is not widely known but is chosen as a compromise when
a political candidate who is not widely known but is chosen as a compromise when opposing groups cannot agree on any of the leading contenders
After weeks of disagreement, the party chose a dark horse senator as their presidential nominee.
collocation: choose a dark horse [as role]
The convention selected a dark horse mayor from a small town to break the deadlock between two factions.
Political analysts were surprised when the committee nominated a dark horse for the cabinet position.
The governor emerged as a dark horse candidate whom neither wing of the party had expected.
- compromise candidate
describes the situation directly without the idiomatic nuance
- outsider
a broader term that can apply to any contest, not just politics
文法句型
a dark horse candidate
emerge as a dark horse
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is limited to political contexts and specifically describes how the person was chosen as a compromise, not just that they won unexpectedly.