dark horse
dark horse — 名詞
1. a person who hides their interests, talents, or personal life from others, often
深藏不露
隱藏實力或興趣不讓人知道的人
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.
大家都以為 Mia 很安靜，沒想到她是個深藏不露的人，會說三種流利的語言。
phrase: be a dark horse (who…)
The new accountant turned out to be a dark horse with a black belt in karate.
那位新會計師原來是個深藏不露的人，擁有空手道黑帶。
collocation: a dark horse with [hidden talent]
Adisa is a bit of a dark horse — he never mentions his award-winning photography.
Adisa 有點深藏不露——他從不提自己得獎的攝影作品。
Uncle Felipe proved a dark horse at dinner when he played Chopin from memory.
Felipe 叔叔在晚餐時展現了他深藏不露的一面，憑記憶彈奏了蕭邦的曲子。
- 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
黑馬
比賽或選舉中意外勝出的參賽者
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.
巴西隊是這次錦標賽的黑馬，一路過關斬將贏得了冠軍。
pattern: the dark horse of [event]
Roya's horse was a dark horse that few bettors had noticed before the race.
Roya 的馬是一匹黑馬，賽前幾乎沒有賭客注意到牠。
Analysts called the candidate a dark horse, but she won the election by a wide margin.
分析師稱那位候選人為黑馬，結果她以大比數贏得了選舉。
In the chess championship, the 16-year-old from Nigeria was the dark horse who defeated the grandmaster.
在西洋棋錦標賽中，那位來自奈及利亞的十六歲選手是匹黑馬，擊敗了特級大師。
Their small company was the dark horse of the industry until their product became a global hit.
那間小公司是業界的黑馬，直到他們的產品在全球熱賣。
- 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
折衷人選
各方妥協後推出的政壇意外人選
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.
經過數週的歧見，黨內選出一位折衷人選的參議員擔任總統候選人。
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.
大會選出一位來自小鎮的市長作為折衷人選，打破了兩派之間的僵局。
Political analysts were surprised when the committee nominated a dark horse for the cabinet position.
政治分析師對於委員會提名一位折衷人選進入內閣感到意外。
The governor emerged as a dark horse candidate whom neither wing of the party had expected.
州長成為黨內意料之外的折衷人選，兩翼都沒有預料到。
- 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.