in the dark
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in the dark
1. In secret; covertly. They must have signed that contract in the dark because our legal team definitely would have advised them against it.
2. Not knowing something that other people do. Somehow, everyone knew that Alicia had quit school except for me—I was totally in the dark. No, I don't know who's going to get the promotion—now that I'm off the executive board, I'm in the dark about a lot of things.
See also: dark
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*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.
See also: dark
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in the dark
1. In secret, in concealment, as in This agreement was concluded in the dark. [Early 1600s]
2. In a state of ignorance, uninformed, as in I was in the dark about their plans. This metaphor often appears in the locution keep someone in the dark, meaning "deliberately keep someone uninformed," as in They kept me in the dark about their plans. [Late 1600s] For an antonym, see in the know.
See also: dark
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in the dark
COMMON If you are in the dark about something, you know nothing about it. We were in the dark completely about the testing that these facilities were doing.
See also: dark
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
in the ˈdark (about something)
knowing nothing about something: Workers were kept in the dark about the plans to sell the company. ♢ She arrived at the meeting as much in the dark as everyone else.See also: dark
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
in the dark
1. In secret: high-level decisions made in the dark.
2. In a state of ignorance; uninformed: kept me in the dark about their plans.
See also: dark
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.