We have an entire series of blog posts in which we recommend using idioms to enliven presentations. This time we explore a particularly intriguing idiom: dark horse. A dark horse describes a person whose experience and abilities are unknown, but who could unexpectedly succeed. The horse, of course, connects this idiom most often to races.
Susan says:
But, why is the horse dark? Perhaps in recognition of the old trick used by dishonest horse trainers to disguise a winning horse by dying it an unrecognizable dark color to improve its betting odds. Or perhaps, again referring to horse racing, because a dark horse it harder to see and thus it is more difficult to predict its possibilities for success.
How would you use the dark horse idiom in a presentation? Certainly it would have to be to celebrate an unforeseen achievement, a crowd pleasing win from the back of the pack, a startling triumph for any company, product or idea. Use the dark horse idiom for a new and unusual way to give yourself a pat on the back for pulling off an upset or suddenly appearing among a group of well-known and more predictable winners.
I love Lucia’s dark horse with its sharply erect ears and sly, sidelong look. He knows something that we don’t, doesn’t he? Perhaps that he is a winner!
Lucia says:
I was out at a beautiful garden with one of my photography groups. As I was leaving, after a very satisfying photo shoot, I noticed a horse show jumping event near by. Of course, I had to check it out and I was pleasantly rewarded for my curiosity. I experienced another satisfying photo shoot. Horses are magnificent subjects. They are beautiful, majestic, soulful-looking creatures. Just being around them was a delight. In an attempt to capture this, I was compelled to make a close-up of this horse. Yes, a stunning guy.
Meanwhile back to the idiom
I didn’t have a photo of a black horse for our post, but I thought this dark brown horse with a black mane was close enough to make our point.
By the way
You may be wondering, ‘what’s with the knitted cap covering his ears and forehead’. I asked my friend, Amy Gredler, my go-to person for all things horsey. She thought it was to keep flies off of his ears. Flies can make a horse nutty. Well, I’m with him. Flies can make me nutty, too.
