D - Dark-Horse, Dog Days, Don't Count & More

Today's idioms are brought to you by the letter D!  I had a hard time choosing just three today, so I've done a couple more than usual.  I just thought these were all so fascinating.

1.  I was surprised when Craig won the vice-presidency because he was the dark-horse candidate.

Meaning:  a contestant about whom little is known, and who wins unexpectedly.

Origin:  Three theories here, all from the early 1800s and all related to horse racing.  1) the dark horse was a horse whose speed was kept under wraps ("dark") until the race started, and then everyone was surprised when the horse won.  2)  Owners of well-known horses would dye their horses black to disguise them before a big race.  3) A horse trader would fool people by disguising his Stallion as a regular saddle horse, set up a race, take bets and always win.  It was first used in American politics with the surprise win of President James Polk in 1844.

2.  More air conditioners are sold during the dog days of summer than the rest of the year combined.

Meaning:  the hottest and most humid days of summer.

Origin:  In ancient Rome, astrologists knew Sirius, the Dog Star, rose and set with the sun during the hottest weeks of the year.  People thought the heat from the Dog Star and the heat of the sun make those weeks extra hot.  We call this the "dog days" because we get easily bored and tired when it's so hot outside.

3.  I spent the money Shelly said she would pay me, and then she disappeared without a trace.  I shouldn't have counted my chickens before they hatched.

Meaning:  don't count on profits before you have them in hand.

Origin:  Aesop once wrote about a woman carrying a basket of eggs.  In her mind she figured how much she would get for the chickens when they hatched and had plans for how to spend the money.  In her excitement, she dropped her basket and every egg smashed.  Today we use this fable to warn people not to be confident of getting a result, realizing an ambition or making profit before it actually happens.  

BONUS:  

 

4.  Dressed to the Nines (fashionably dressed):  Nine is a mystical number in numerology and represents perfection.  Also, in old English they used to say 'dressed to the eyne" meaning fashionably dressed from the toes to the eyes.  It's believed that over time the 'n' got moved over and the 'y' was changed to an 'i'

5.  Going Dutch/Dutch Treat (each person pays for own food or entertainment):  From 1800s - Dutch immigrants were thrifty and great savers.  So, when someone paid their own way during a date, it became dubbed a "dutch treat."

6.  Dyed-In-The-Wool (stubborn in beliefs):  Wool dyed in its raw state holds the dye better than if it is dyed after spinning.  The phrase has been around since 1579, people used this expression to describe people who were so firm in their beliefs that they wouldn't easily be changed.  It was first used politically in 1830 with Andrew Jackson's administration.