dark (redirected from darkness)

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. We're still in the dark about whether any jobs are going to be cut. (often + about)

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

a dark horse

1. 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. 17-year-old Karen Pickering could also be a dark horse for (= she could win) a medal in the European Championships. (sometimes + for)

See also: horse

dark-horse (American)

a dark horse - a person who wins a race or competition although no one expected them to. She's a dark-horse candidate for the position of company director. (always before noun)

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

keep something dark

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

See also: keep

keep/leave someone in the dark

to not tell someone about something. She claims she knew nothing about the deal and was deliberately kept in the dark.

See also: keep, leave

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

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keep someone in the dark

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

See also: keep

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

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