Question

Choose the correct meaning of the given phrase.
"A black sheep"

A) Person with a bad reputation
B) Distinguished man
C) Distinct individual
D) Black leg

Answer 1

Hint: The given phrase is an idiom. An idiom does not have a literal meaning but a figurative meaning to it.

Complete answer:

From the hint given to us, we know that the given phrase is an idiom and an idiom has a figurative meaning to it, not a literal meaning. Thus, we can infer from this that the given phrase does not literally mean a sheep that is black. Figurative meaning means metaphorical meaning. Hence, we shall be analyzing the given phrase through the metaphors it comprises of. Black metaphorically means bad reputation or shamefulness.
A person with a bad reputation is the meaning similar to the meaning we have derived from the idiom. Hence, option A is possibly the correct answer.
A distinguished man means respectable man. We observe that it contradicts the meaning that we have derived from the idiom. Hence, option B is not the correct answer.
A distinct individual means a different individual. We observe that it is not similar to the meaning that we have derived from the idiom. Hence, option B is not the correct answer.
Blackleg means a black colored leg. We observe that it is nowhere close to the meaning that we have derived from the idiom. Hence, option B is not the correct answer.
Hence, we can conclude that option A, ‘person with a bad reputation’ is the correct answer.

Note: Idioms are unique to every language. One must know the English idioms, in order to be able to understand their meaning and usage.