white hope
- a person who is expected to accomplish much in a given field: the white hope of the American theater.
- Sports. (formerly) a white man who had a good chance of winning the heavyweight boxing championship from a black man.
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Origin of white hope
First recorded in 1905–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
white hope
- informal a person who is expected to bring honour or glory to his group, team, etc
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for white hope
n.
c.1912, originally in sporting use in reference to the quest for a white man capable of beating champion pugilist Jack Johnson.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper