Horse of a different color
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
A person, thing, argument, or situation that is fundamentally different from the one previously discussed or expected. Informal but widely understood. British spelling uses 'colour,' and 'another color' is a common alternative wording. Regional use: General English; 'different color' is especially common in American English.
Origin
English has used a horse's color as a metaphor for kind or character for centuries. In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, written around 1601, Maria says that her purpose is 'a horse of that colour,' an important precursor rather than the exact modern wording. By the mid-19th century, forms with 'another' or 'different' color were used for a different matter, especially in American English. The vividly changing horse in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz therefore literalized an established expression rather than creating it.
Research Sources
Variants
- Horse of another color
- Horse of a different colour
- Horse of another colour
Usage Examples
- A minor repair is affordable; replacing the foundation is a horse of a different color.
- Writing the proposal was easy, but defending it in public proved a horse of another color.
- The first witness was cooperative, while the second was a horse of a different color entirely.