Dark-horse meaning
One who achieves unexpected support and success as a political candidate, typically during a party's convention.
noun
A little-known, unexpectedly successful entrant, as in a horserace.
noun
An unexpected winner in a horse race, thought beforehand to have very little chance.
noun
An almost unknown contestant regarded by few as a likely winner.
noun
A person who gets or may get the nomination unexpectedly, often by a compromise.
noun
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(rare) An unexpected success.
Everyone was expecting the red team to win, but the greens were the dark horse in the event.
noun
Origin of dark-horse
Originally an allusion to an unknown horse winning a race, as used in an 1831 novel The Young Duke by Benjamin Disraeli.