Color Phrases
Discuss the meaning of these phrases.
He turned red as a beet.
Jim’s been blue since his friend moved.
Doris is pea green with envy.
He’s a black hearted pirate.
She turned white as a ghost.
Isabelle has a green thumb/green finger.
Tonight we'll paint the town red.
At the wedding they'll roll out the red carpet.
The fashion show party had red-carpet treatment.
Seeing the movie on the silver screen.
Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth.
To be given something on a silver plate/platter.
Yellow-bellied.
He called me up out of the blue.
Once in a blue moon the kids will clean their rooms.
Blue
Out of the blue: unexpected
True blue: to be loyal or faithful
Once in a blue moon: an event that occurs infrequently See: Once in a Blue Moon
Blue ribbon: first place; to describe something as being of the highest quality
Blue blood: an aristocrat See: Blue Blood for Silver Spoons
Blue law: laws about morality issues
Blue comedy: jokes about socially taboo subjects
Blueprint: a detailed design of an object or idea
Blue plate special: a special priced meal at a restaurant
Bluestocking: a woman with strong scholarly interests
Feeling blue: to feel sad or unhappy
Green
Get the green light: get approval to move ahead or proceed with a project or task See: Give The Green Light Meaning
Green corn: the young, tender ears of Indian corn
Green thumb (US) or Green fingers (UK): an unusual ability to make plants grow
Green room: a room (in a theater or studio) where performers can relax before or after appearances
Greenback: a legal-tender note issued by the United States government
Greener pastures: something newer or better (or perceived to be better), such as a new job
Green with envy: jealous or envious See: Green With Envy
Greenhorn: novice, trainee, beginner See: He Wasn’t All Greenhorn
Green around the gills: marked by a pale, sickly, or nauseated appearance
Turn green: to look pale and ill as if you are going to vomit
Going green: when someone or something makes changes to help protect the environment, or reduces waste or pollution
Yellow
Yellow Bellied: a cowardly manner
Yellow fever: a disease involving high fever and jaundice that is common in the tropics
Yellow jack: a flag flown on a vessel to show that it is under quarantine
Yellow Dog contract: a contract which denies a person the right to join a worker’s union
Yellow journalism: newspaper articles thought to be sensationalized in order to sell more papers See: The Yellow Journalism Wars
Brown
Brown sugar: partially refined sugar
Brown bagging: to bring a homemade packed lunch to work
Brown out: a partial loss of electrical power See: Three Types of Brownout
Brownstone: a building made out of dark colored sandstone
In a brown study: describing someone as being in deep thought
Gray
Gray market: the business of buying or selling items that are priced below what has been regulated
Gray mood: an unhappy mood
Gray area: caught between two differing views
Red
Red carpet treatment: giving privileged treatment to an important person
Caught red-handed: clearly guilty
Red in the face: to become embarrassed
Seeing red: to be angered
Red flag: a warning of danger
Not worth a red cent: having no value
Red letter day: a memorable, joyful day See: It’s a Red Letter Day
Red tape: excessive formalities in governmental process See: Cutting Through Red Tape
In the red: a term to describe an economic loss
Scarlet letter: a punitive mark of adultery that originated with the novel (1850) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Pink
Tickled pink: to be happy
In the pink: in good health — this phrase hasn’t always had this meaning. See: Being in the Pink
Pinking shears: scissors with serrated blades
A pink elephant: term to describe hallucinations during intoxication
Pinkie finger: the smallest finger on the human hand
Pink slip: notice that employment is ending
Pink collar: refers to a particular class of jobs once only filled by women
Purple
Purple prose: an elaborately written poem or paragraph in literature
Purple heart: a medal awarded to a US soldier wounded in battle
Born to the purple: a person who is born into a noble or royal family
Lay it out in lavender: very cool, relaxed, and in control
White
White Christmas: the appearance of snow on Christmas day
White elephant: a possession that no longer holds value for its owner See: White Elephant: Revered or Revenge
White flag: the signal of a peaceful surrender
White goods: a description of household items, such as linens, towels, and appliances
White hot: extreme manner of intensity
White lie: a harmless untruth usually told out of politeness See: The Short, Sweet Truth About White Lies
White sauce: a sauce made from stock, butter, flour and seasonings
White feather: a symbol of cowardliness
White noise: static noise
White as a sheet or white as a ghost: scared, sick, surprised
White-collar related to “desk jobs”
White flag: surrender
Whitewash to mask the negative parts
White wine: wine from green or yellow grapes
White wedding
a traditional western-style wedding where the bride wears a white gown
a white person
a person of Caucasian race
white-hot extremely hot OR popular
a white paper an authoritative report on a issue
white as the driven snow
innocent (often used sarcastically about corruption)
white with rage
extremely enraged
to bleed someone white
to take everything someone has, esp. money
showing the white feather
acting cowardly
a white-knuckle ride
a dangerous, nerve-wracking, scary ride
that’s mighty white of you (old-fashioned)
that’s good of you
lily-white
unmistakably Caucasian OR blameless, goodly
white horses (surfing)
patches of white foam made by breaking waves
white trash (American)
(offensive) uneducated, socio-economically disadvantaged Caucasian people
whiter than white (British)
righteous, innocent
a white pointer (Australian)
a topless female sunbather
Black*
Black comedy: creating comedy out of a tragic event or situation
Black coffee: coffee without milk
Black belt: the highest awarded belt in the martial arts
Blackball: voting against someone in a secret manner to prevent them from becoming a member of a club
Blackmail: to demand payment or action by means of a threat
Black sheep: a bad character in an otherwise respectable group
Black day: a bad day; often used before the name of a particular day to symbolize a tragic event, such as black Tuesday
Black Friday: the day after Thanksgiving See: Why The Friday After Thanksgiving Is Known As Black Friday
* Please note that while the terms above illustrate how black has historically been used in language, equating black to negativity is outmoded and using these terms could be hurtful. Like color, language is a powerful tool, so please always choose your colors and words wisely.
Discuss the meaning of these phrases.
He turned red as a beet.
Jim’s been blue since his friend moved.
Doris is pea green with envy.
He’s a black hearted pirate.
She turned white as a ghost.
Isabelle has a green thumb/green finger.
Tonight we'll paint the town red.
At the wedding they'll roll out the red carpet.
The fashion show party had red-carpet treatment.
Seeing the movie on the silver screen.
Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth.
To be given something on a silver plate/platter.
Yellow-bellied.
He called me up out of the blue.
Once in a blue moon the kids will clean their rooms.
Blue
Out of the blue: unexpected
True blue: to be loyal or faithful
Once in a blue moon: an event that occurs infrequently See: Once in a Blue Moon
Blue ribbon: first place; to describe something as being of the highest quality
Blue blood: an aristocrat See: Blue Blood for Silver Spoons
Blue law: laws about morality issues
Blue comedy: jokes about socially taboo subjects
Blueprint: a detailed design of an object or idea
Blue plate special: a special priced meal at a restaurant
Bluestocking: a woman with strong scholarly interests
Feeling blue: to feel sad or unhappy
Green
Get the green light: get approval to move ahead or proceed with a project or task See: Give The Green Light Meaning
Green corn: the young, tender ears of Indian corn
Green thumb (US) or Green fingers (UK): an unusual ability to make plants grow
Green room: a room (in a theater or studio) where performers can relax before or after appearances
Greenback: a legal-tender note issued by the United States government
Greener pastures: something newer or better (or perceived to be better), such as a new job
Green with envy: jealous or envious See: Green With Envy
Greenhorn: novice, trainee, beginner See: He Wasn’t All Greenhorn
Green around the gills: marked by a pale, sickly, or nauseated appearance
Turn green: to look pale and ill as if you are going to vomit
Going green: when someone or something makes changes to help protect the environment, or reduces waste or pollution
Yellow
Yellow Bellied: a cowardly manner
Yellow fever: a disease involving high fever and jaundice that is common in the tropics
Yellow jack: a flag flown on a vessel to show that it is under quarantine
Yellow Dog contract: a contract which denies a person the right to join a worker’s union
Yellow journalism: newspaper articles thought to be sensationalized in order to sell more papers See: The Yellow Journalism Wars
Brown
Brown sugar: partially refined sugar
Brown bagging: to bring a homemade packed lunch to work
Brown out: a partial loss of electrical power See: Three Types of Brownout
Brownstone: a building made out of dark colored sandstone
In a brown study: describing someone as being in deep thought
Gray
Gray market: the business of buying or selling items that are priced below what has been regulated
Gray mood: an unhappy mood
Gray area: caught between two differing views
Red
Red carpet treatment: giving privileged treatment to an important person
Caught red-handed: clearly guilty
Red in the face: to become embarrassed
Seeing red: to be angered
Red flag: a warning of danger
Not worth a red cent: having no value
Red letter day: a memorable, joyful day See: It’s a Red Letter Day
Red tape: excessive formalities in governmental process See: Cutting Through Red Tape
In the red: a term to describe an economic loss
Scarlet letter: a punitive mark of adultery that originated with the novel (1850) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Pink
Tickled pink: to be happy
In the pink: in good health — this phrase hasn’t always had this meaning. See: Being in the Pink
Pinking shears: scissors with serrated blades
A pink elephant: term to describe hallucinations during intoxication
Pinkie finger: the smallest finger on the human hand
Pink slip: notice that employment is ending
Pink collar: refers to a particular class of jobs once only filled by women
Purple
Purple prose: an elaborately written poem or paragraph in literature
Purple heart: a medal awarded to a US soldier wounded in battle
Born to the purple: a person who is born into a noble or royal family
Lay it out in lavender: very cool, relaxed, and in control
White
White Christmas: the appearance of snow on Christmas day
White elephant: a possession that no longer holds value for its owner See: White Elephant: Revered or Revenge
White flag: the signal of a peaceful surrender
White goods: a description of household items, such as linens, towels, and appliances
White hot: extreme manner of intensity
White lie: a harmless untruth usually told out of politeness See: The Short, Sweet Truth About White Lies
White sauce: a sauce made from stock, butter, flour and seasonings
White feather: a symbol of cowardliness
White noise: static noise
White as a sheet or white as a ghost: scared, sick, surprised
White-collar related to “desk jobs”
White flag: surrender
Whitewash to mask the negative parts
White wine: wine from green or yellow grapes
White wedding
a traditional western-style wedding where the bride wears a white gown
a white person
a person of Caucasian race
white-hot extremely hot OR popular
a white paper an authoritative report on a issue
white as the driven snow
innocent (often used sarcastically about corruption)
white with rage
extremely enraged
to bleed someone white
to take everything someone has, esp. money
showing the white feather
acting cowardly
a white-knuckle ride
a dangerous, nerve-wracking, scary ride
that’s mighty white of you (old-fashioned)
that’s good of you
lily-white
unmistakably Caucasian OR blameless, goodly
white horses (surfing)
patches of white foam made by breaking waves
white trash (American)
(offensive) uneducated, socio-economically disadvantaged Caucasian people
whiter than white (British)
righteous, innocent
a white pointer (Australian)
a topless female sunbather
Black*
Black comedy: creating comedy out of a tragic event or situation
Black coffee: coffee without milk
Black belt: the highest awarded belt in the martial arts
Blackball: voting against someone in a secret manner to prevent them from becoming a member of a club
Blackmail: to demand payment or action by means of a threat
Black sheep: a bad character in an otherwise respectable group
Black day: a bad day; often used before the name of a particular day to symbolize a tragic event, such as black Tuesday
Black Friday: the day after Thanksgiving See: Why The Friday After Thanksgiving Is Known As Black Friday
* Please note that while the terms above illustrate how black has historically been used in language, equating black to negativity is outmoded and using these terms could be hurtful. Like color, language is a powerful tool, so please always choose your colors and words wisely.
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