“Black sheep” is a figurative term used to describe someone who doesn’t fit into a group due to their behavior or appearance. It originates from the color of actual sheep with black wool, which is undesirable. It can also be used as a term of extreme disgrace. The term has been adopted by organizations and groups to mark themselves as radical or extreme, and in psychology to describe the black sheep effect.
“Black sheep” is an idiom as it is not meant to be taken in its literal meaning, but generally has a figurative meaning. The term is typically used to describe a person who doesn’t fit into a specific group because of their behavior or appearance. It can also be used to refer to someone who is rebellious and does not conform to the ethics, morals or beliefs of a particular group.
While the term is not usually taken literally, it originates from a reference to the color of actual sheep. Due to a dominant genetic trait, sheep generally have white wool. Occasionally, however, a recessive gene surfaces and a sheep is born with black or dark colored wool. The dark-colored sheep not only stands out from the crowd because of its appearance, but may be considered undesirable because black wool cannot be dyed like white wool.
Considering the origins of the phrase, when taken to an extreme, it can be used as a term of extreme disgrace. In other words, in some cases, if a person is called a black sheep, it means that he has dishonored a particular group, such as his own family. In that case, the person is treated as undesirable and considered an outcast. More commonly, however, the term has softer connotations.
A person might be considered a black sheep because of their physical appearance. For example, if all members of a family are slim and athletic, but one member is overweight and lazy, that person might be labeled the “black sheep.” The term could also refer to the behavior of an individual. For example, if a group of employees in a job are all hardworking and dedicated, but one member of the group is lazy and uninspired, he might be considered the black sheep of the group.
The term can also be used to refer to someone who is defiant or defiant. That individual is typically labeled as the troublemaker within a group. For example, a teacher might refer to a particular student in her class as a “black sheep” because of that student’s insubordinate or disruptive behavior.
Over time, the phrase has been adopted by organizations and groups to mark themselves as radical or extreme. For example, one particular Marine fighter squadron during WWII, known as Marine Attack Squadron 214, was nicknamed the Black Sheep Squadron due to their radical exploits during the war. The term has also been used in the area of psychology to describe how a group will judge their noncompliant member more severely than the noncompliant members of a rival group. This is known as the black sheep effect.
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