Dark horse: 黑马
<p><span word="Dark">Dark</span> <span word="horse">horse</span>: 黑马</p><p>对于“黑马”，我们并不陌生，是指“比赛中爆出冷门的优胜者”。在英语中，“黑”可不是<span word="black">black</span>，须用<span word="dark">dark</span>来表达，指事态“不清楚”或“不明朗”。</p><p>“<span word="Dark">Dark</span> <span word="horse">horse</span>”最初源于赛马场，指那些没有名气、赌客们不甚了解的马。到19世纪，<span word="dark">dark</span> <span word="horse">horse</span>开始进入政治词汇，形容当两个政党在议会选举中势均力敌、陷入僵局时，中间派意外杀出，获取胜利。 现在，<span word="dark">dark</span> <span word="horse">horse</span>大抵形容那些令人刮目相看、制造冷门的异军突起者，也可以指一举成名的后起之秀，或泛指那些实力难测没有名气的竞争者。举个例子：<span word="People">People</span> <span word="tend">tend</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="elect">elect</span> <span word="candidates">candidates</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="names">names</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="listening">listening</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="candidate">candidate</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="speech">speech</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="think">think</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lot">lot</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sense">sense</span>. <span word="I">I</span>'<span word="m">m</span> <span word="going">going</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="vote">vote</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="though">though</span> <span word="he">he</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="dark">dark</span> <span word="horse">horse</span>.（人们倾向于投票给那些名气大的候选人。但是，听了那个新候选人的讲话，我认为他讲很有道理。尽管他是一匹“黑马”，我准备投他的票。） 另外，既然谈到了英语中“黑马”不能用<span word="black">black</span>来修饰，我们可以顺便提一下可用<span word="black">black</span>来修饰的“羊”--<span word="black">black</span> <span word="sheep">sheep</span>，其取自《圣经》典故，指一家之中或其他集体中名誉不好的成员，也就是我们常说的“败家子”或“害群之马”。</p>
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