# What does ‘a dark horse’ mean?

To “a dark horse” means to a competitor whose abilities are unknown until they prove strong. Brewer's records this as a turf term: a horse whose form has been kept secret to lengthen its odds. Popularized by Disraeli's novel The Young Duke (1831).

## What it means

- Brewer's records this as a turf term: a horse whose form has been kept secret to lengthen its odds. Popularized by Disraeli's novel The Young Duke (1831).

## Action steps

1. Used in politics and sports for surprise contenders.
2. Example: The new candidate is a dark horse in the race.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

---
Canonical: https://bestidiomanswers.com/answers/a-dark-horse
Author: Best Idiom Answers — https://bestidiomanswers.com
Publisher: Best Idiom Answers
Published: 2026-07-18T04:16:34.328924+00:00
Modified: 2026-07-18T04:16:34.328924+00:00
Last verified: 2026-07-18
License: Citation License 1.0 — https://bestexpertanswers.com/license
© Adolicious LLC