in the dark

I

in the dark

Meaning

  • uninformed, a state of ignorance.
  • keep someone unaware, not informed.
  • keep somebody off of any act.
  • not giving someone information, they require or telling them something.
  • to purposefully withhold information from someone.

Example Sentences

  1. 1. The family had been kept in the dark regarding their kin one’s medical diagnosis.
  2. Without a good roadmap, they were in the dark as to how to proceed.
  3. We’re still in the dark about the company’s layoff policy.
  4. My best friend kept me in the dark about his plan to start a new business with my sister.
  5. New Zealand has developed many different techniques to keep the world in the dark.
  6. I wish to keep intruders in the dark regarding my passwords and banking details.

Origin

The idiom “in the dark” has a long and fascinating history. It originates from the Middle Ages, when it was used in stories to describe someone who didn’t know what fate had in store for them. It clearly has a sense of mystique about it, even today. The phrase can be understood to mean that someone is unaware of an important fact or does not understand the whole story of a particular situation.

For example, one might say “I’m still in the dark about what really happened at the party”, meaning that they are unaware of or confused by all that transpired. Interestingly enough, this phrase can have positive as well as negative connotations; when used as “light up somebody’s darkness,” it means to shed some light or knowledge on them regarding something they didn’t know previously. Therefore, whether you’re alone ‘in the dark’ attempting to find your way or if somebody else is helping you see where you’re going, the meaning behind this popular idiom remains clear.

The term “dark” has long been used to symbolize ignorance in figurative language. The Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus used the expression in Aulularia, ca. 210 b.c.:

“We can’t keep it dark any longer.”

Later, Shakespeare also used it in All’s Well That Ends Well, 4.1, where it reads:

“Till then I’ll keep him dark”

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