dark horse
A political candidate little known to the general voting public; a candidate who was not expected to run.
Every once in a while a dark horse candidate gets elected President.
dark of the moon
A time when the moon is not shining or cannot be seen.
A was the dark of the moon when the scouts reached camp and they had to use flashlights to find their tents.
darken one's door
darken the door
To appear, as in a doorway; enter someone's home or establishment. Used in negative imperative sentences especially with never and again.
If you leave this house now, never darken my door again.
After a son shamed his father by having to go to prison, the father told him never to darken his door again.
in the dark
In ignorance; without information.
В неведении; неосведомленность.
John was in the dark about the job he was being sent to.
If the government controls the news, it can keep people in the dark on any topic it chooses.
Mary had a letter from Sue yesterday, but she was left in the dark about Sue's plans to visit her.
The personnel were kept in the dark about the merger until the last minute.
Весь персонал до последней минуты держали в неведении об объединении.
pitch dark
Totally, completely dark.
A starless and moonless night in the country can be pitch dark.
shot in the dark
An attempt without much hope or chance of succeeding; a wild guess.
Попытка без больших шансов или надежды на успех; необдуманное предположение.
A was just a shot in the dark, but I got the right answer to the teacher's question.
He didn't know which players had been selected, so mentioning Carter's name was just a shot in the dark.
Он не знал, каких игроков выбрали, поэтому, когда он назвал имя Картера, это было просто наобум.
stab in the dark
A random attempt or guess at something without previous experience or knowledge of the subject.
"You're asking me who could have hidden grandpa's will," Fred said. "I really have no idea, but let me make a stab in the dark - I think my sister Hermione has it."
whistle in the dark
To try to stay brave and forget your fear.
(From the fact that people sometimes whistle when walking in a dark, scary place to keep up their courage.)
(From the fact that people sometimes whistle when walking in a dark, scary place to keep up their courage.)
Пытаться сохранять спокойствие духа и позабыть о своих страхах.
Tom said he could fight the bully with one hand, but we knew that he was just whistling in the dark.
Tom looks confident but he's just whistling in the dark; he knows he's going to lose his job.
Том только выглядит уверенным, но он просто храбрится, он же знает, что потеряет работу.