🐾 “a dark horse”

What it means: An unexpected winner, or someone with hidden abilities.

“Nobody picked her for the shortlist — she came in as the dark horse.”

Where it comes from

Racing first, politics soon after: Benjamin Disraeli is credited with the political sense (1831) on a surprise candidate nobody had read the form of.

← a fish out of water · all animals idioms · let the cat out of the bag →

let the cat out of the baghold your horsesthe elephant in the roomkill two birds with one stonea fish out of water

More phrases, including proverbs from dozens of languages, at Proverbs of the World.