Dark horse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A "dark horse" is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence.[1]
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[edit] Origin
The term began as horse racing parlance. A dark horse is a race horse that is not known to gamblers and thus is difficult to place betting odds on.
The earliest-known use of the phrase is in Benjamin Disraeli's novel The Young Duke (1831). Disraeli's protagonist, the Duke of St. James, attends a horse race with a surprise finish: "A dark horse which had never been thought of, and which the careless St. James had never even observed in the list, rushed past the grandstand in sweeping triumph."[2]
[edit] Use
Politically, the term was first applied to James K. Polk, a relatively unknown Tennessee Democrat who won the Democratic Party's 1844 presidential nomination over a host of better-known candidates. Polk won the nomination on the ninth ballot, and went on to win the presidential election.
Other famous dark horse candidates for the United States presidency include:
- Franklin Pierce, chosen as the Democratic nominee and later elected the 14th president in 1852
- Abraham Lincoln, chosen as the Republican nominee and elected as the 16th president in 1860.
- Rutherford B. Hayes, elected the 19th president in 1876.
- James A. Garfield, elected the 20th president in 1880.
- Warren G. Harding, elected the 29th president after his surprise nomination.
- John W. Davis, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee in 1924.
- Wendell Willkie, the unsuccessful Republican nominee in 1940.
More recently, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have been described as dark horses[citation needed], after they overcame a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls to win the 2008 presidential election and 1992 presidential election, respectively. The same has been said about Jimmy Carter and the 1976 presidential election[citation needed] .
Outside of the United States, the term was also applied to Alberto Fujimori, who rose to the Presidency in Peru.
The term dark horse is also used outside the political context. Surprising or unlikely nominations for such prizes as the Academy Award are referred to as dark horses. It is also used in sport beyond horse racing, in connection with competitors or teams that—despite not being initial favorites—have done well and may win.
George Harrison was nicknamed the "dark horse" of the Beatles, as his visibility as a songwriter and vocalist increased later in the Beatles' career, particularly on Abbey Road.
Season 8 American Idol winner Kris Allen was also nicknamed the "dark horse" of the competition by judge Kara DioGuardi.
