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dark horse

 - 5 dictionary results

dark horse

 
Use dark horse in a Sentence
–noun
1. a racehorse, competitor, etc., about whom little is known or who unexpectedly wins.
2. a candidate who is unexpectedly nominated at a political convention.
Origin:
1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dark horse
dark horse  
n.  

  1. One who achieves unexpected support and success as a political candidate, typically during a party's convention.

  2. A little-known, unexpectedly successful entrant, as in a horserace.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang 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.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Idioms & Phrases

dark horse

A little known, unexpectedly successful entrant, as in You never can tellsome 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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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