Home › Idioms

black sheep

Meaning: An outcast.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Category: Animals

Origin: The expression probably originates from the fact that most sheep are white and only the very different ones are black.

More idioms — Animals

  • bug — To bother, annoy, or irritate mildly.
  • bull in a china shop — Insensitive to delicate situations; to be so clumsy that one breaks things inadvertently.
  • chicken — Scared; frightened.
  • chicken out — To become too frightened to do something; to lose one's nerve.
  • clam up — To not say anything.
  • cock-and-bull story — A story that is too unlikely to be believed.

More English idioms

  • cook someone's goose — To ruin someone's plans.
  • crocodile tears — False, exaggerated tears.
  • cry wolf — To raise a false alarm or exaggerate so often that one is no longer believed.
  • dark horse — A competitor who is little-known by most people but who is expected to win by someone mor…
  • dog-eared — Well-worn.
  • dog-eat-dog — Ruthless, competitive, and fast-paced.

← Back to Idioms

Loading the full interactive collection…