It happens that you look at a person and understand that something is wrong with him. But it’s impossible to explain to yourself what seems so suspicious in the interlocutor. It is customary to call such people dark horses. The meaning of this term and consider below.
Appearance story
To understand the meaning of the "dark horse", you need to find out the origin of phraseology. And he appeared a little later than horse racing became popular in Russia, that is, in the XVIII century. It was at that time that sweepstakes were invented, and people began to bet. From ancient times it was believed that a thoroughbred horse should be white, well, in extreme cases, gray. Black animals were not worth the price, as they were credited with a mystical meaning. It was on this faith that people began to earn money. They bred dark horses, crossing them with thoroughbreds. And if it was not possible to deliver a black animal to the hippodrome, then often the white horses were repainted. They were not allowed to jump immediately at full power to lull the vigilance of rivals and raise rates. And in the last minutes of the race, the rider spurred the horse, and she came first. Soon, viewers uncovered a hoax, and the expression “dark horse” entered everyday speech already outside the hippodrome context.
Value
How can one interpret the concept of “dark horse”? His meaning is - a person who is not as simple as it seems. What does this mean? Dark horses are often called rather modest people who in the company of friends do not behave too actively, they are not inclined to talk about themselves and from the outside often seem arrogant. Since others do not understand what to expect from such a person, often such people are ignored.
The meaning of phraseology a dark horse fully becomes clear if you look at many movie stars. They seem so fragile and feminine, but once they enter the image, and they appear before you in a completely different role. Is it good? For actors, this is a big plus, because they do not have to play the same characters all their lives.
To whom does it apply?
Phraseologism "dark horse", the meaning of which we described above, can often be heard in life. And if for actors and actresses this is more of a compliment, for ordinary citizens such a description is not considered flattering. Why? Because unpredictability and variability do not speak in favor of people. The significance of the dark horse can not be told.
Each of the readers can remember in their environment a person in whose company everyone feels uneasy, goosebumps run right on their skin. This is because everyone is tensing and starting to worry. But it is worth understanding that a person can cause a feeling of awe for two reasons. The first will be respect, and the second, on the contrary, contempt. But what are people afraid of? Basically, a dark horse can spoil their reputation in any way. But in this case, you need to think, because people who are confident in the purity of their intentions, in the justice of their decisions and actions, have nothing to fear. Then you should understand the dark horse not as a person worthy of contempt, but as a catalyst that provokes an explosive reaction.