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刘夏 Lucy
If a person is "dark" - does it mean hair or skin color/complexion?
Hi everybody! The question I'd like to ask native speakers of English is: when you read a book and meet a character who is described as "dark" - do you understand this as the character's hair is dark, or their skin color / complexion is dark? This word confuses me a lot. When I see something like "He was dark, with a long nose" or "She was dark and pretty" etc, I don't quite understand how to picture this charcter in my head. Sometimes an author gives a clue later in the text (e.g. says "she was pale, and her eyes were blue", and I conclude the character is white and "dark" meant hair), but sometimes he/she doesn't.
2019년 10월 1일 오전 11:51
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I don't read a lot of novels, but usually 'dark' refers to their complexion. Women, (apparently) sometimes find attractive a 'tall, dark stranger' (so I'm out of luck), but that is a common phrase. In the Middle Ages, a dark stranger would be a Moor or Berber person from Spain and north Africa, but some people in western Europe also have dark complexion, particularly dark or black hair, sometimes darker skin. Never been to Europe. I see that in Scottish people.

If it were dark in other ways, you would say that the person has a 'dark demeanor' or a dark character/characteristic about them, It is not a common description.
So the answer is - both. Both dark hair and dark complexion (skin colour) , but most often it is a dark complexion.
2019년 10월 1일

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