dark

*in the dark (about someone or something)

Fig. uninformed about someone or something; ignorant about someone or something. (*Typically: be ~; keep someone ~; stay ~.) I'm in the dark about who is in charge around here. I can't imagine why they are keeping me in the dark. She's in the dark about how this machine works.

All cats are gray in the dark.

Prov. When in the dark, appearances are meaningless, since everything is hard to see or unseen. I don't care if my date is ugly. All cats are gray in the dark.

See also: cat, gray

dark horse

Fig. someone or something whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others. (From a race horse about which little or nothing is known.) It's difficult to predict who will win the prize—there are two or three dark horses in the tournament. Everyone was surprised at the results of the election. The dark horse won.

See also: horse

dark side of someone or something

Fig. the negative and often hidden aspect of someone or something. I had never seen the dark side of Mary before, and I have to tell you that I was horrified when she lost her temper.

See also: side

darkest hour is just before the dawn and It's always darkest just before the dawn.

Prov. When things are extremely bad, it may signal that they are about to get much better. Jill: I feel like giving up. I don't have a job, my boyfriend left me, and they're raising the rent for my apartment. Jane: It's always darkest just before the dawn.

See also: before, dawn, hour, just

It's always darkest just before the dawn.

See The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

See also: always, before, dawn, just

pitch dark

very dark; as dark as pitch. I couldn't see anything outside because it was pitch dark. The room was pitch dark, and I couldn't find the light switch!

See also: pitch

shot in the dark

Fig. a very general attempt; a wild guess. It was just a shot in the dark. I had no idea I was exactly correct. Come on, try it. Even a shot in the dark may win.

See also: shot

whistle in the dark

Fig. to guess aimlessly; to speculate as to a fact. Am I close, or am I just whistling in the dark? She was whistling in the dark. She has no idea of what's going on.

See also: whistle

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a dark horse 

1. (British & Australian humorous) a person who does not tell other people about their ideas or skills and who surprises people by doing something that they do not expect I didn't know Linda had written a novel. She's a bit of a dark horse, isn't she?

2. a person who wins a race or competition although no one expected them to (sometimes + for ) 17-year-old Karen Pickering could also be a dark horse for (= she could win) a medal in the European Championships. (American)

See also: horse

a leap in the dark

something you do without being certain what will happen as a result I had very little information about the company, so writing to them was a bit of a leap in the dark.

See also: leap

a shot in the dark

an attempt to guess something when you have no information or knowledge about it The whole theory is a shot in the dark - no-one will ever take us seriously.

See also: shot

be in the dark

to not know about something that other people know about I'm totally in the dark. I don't know what's going on. (often + about ) We're still in the dark about whether any jobs are going to be cut.

be whistling in the dark

to be confident that something good will happen when it is not at all likely She seems pretty sure she'll win the title, but she may just be whistling in the dark.

See also: whistle

keep something dark

to keep something secret If he did know that Anna was leaving, he certainly kept it dark.

See also: keep

The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

something that you say which means a bad situation often seems worse just before it improves There's still a chance she might recover. The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

See also: before, dawn, hour, just

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a shot in the dark

an attempt to do something without knowing much about it When I applied for the scholarship, it was just a shot in the dark – I had no idea how important and competitive it was.

See also: shot

keep somebody in the dark also leave somebody in the dark

to not tell someone about something Congress complained about being kept in the dark about the peace talks.

See also: keep

whistling in the dark

to be confident about something although you have no good reason to be confident He wasn't very sure of his chances at the time - he was really just whistling in the dark, hoping to get some support.

See also: whistle