Blue is a colour that appears in lots of English idioms and expressions. Interestingly, it often represents sadness, rarity or unexpected situations rather than the colour itself.
From feeling blue when you’re unhappy to doing something once in a blue moon, these expressions can be confusing if you try to understand them literally.
Here are some common blue idioms, with simple meanings and examples to help you understand how they’re used.
What are blue idioms?
Blue idioms are English expressions that contain the word blue but have a meaning that isn’t necessarily connected to the colour.
For example, if someone says they’re feeling blue, they don’t mean that their skin has turned blue. They mean that they’re feeling sad or unhappy.
Learning these expressions can help you understand everyday English and make your own English sound more natural.
Common blue idioms
a bolt from the blue
meaning – something totally unexpected/surprising
example – Tish has resigned; that’s a bolt from the blue. I thought she loved it here.
black and blue
meaning – beaten and bruised
example – We spent a week hiking around Nepal. It was great, but we were black and blue after.
blue-collar
meaning – a job which involves manual labour
example – I need a blue-collar job; I like being active.
blue-eyed boy
meaning – a young man who is favoured and treated well by others
example – Damian will get the promotion, he’s the manager’s blue-eyed boy.
feel blue
meaning – feel sad, depressed
example – Fred has been feeling blue lately. Do you know what’s wrong with him?
once in a blue moon
meaning – very rarely
example – I only see my sister once in a blue moon, we aren’t that close.
out of the blue
meaning – all of a sudden, unexpectedly, without warning
example – My boss fired me out of the blue. I don’t understand. I thought he liked me.
scream blue murder
meaning – shout and scream very loudly
example – A lady in the shop screamed blue murder when they wouldn’t give her a refund.
sing the blues
meaning – complain/whine to get sympathy from others
example – Corey is singing the blues because his electricity has been cut off for a few hours.
the boys in blue
meaning – a slang term for the police
example – The party got a little out of hand. The boys in blue arrived and arrested three people.
until one’s blue in the face
meaning – angry, irritated, frustrated, exhausted
example – I complained to the council until I was blue in the face, but they still didn’t sort the problem.
Why do we use blue in English idioms?
The colour blue has developed several different associations in English. It is often connected with sadness, which is why we feel blue, but it can also appear in expressions about rarity, surprise, social class and work.
This is one of the interesting things about idioms: the same colour can have completely different meanings depending on the expression.
Blue Idioms Quiz
Think you’ve got the blues under control? Put your knowledge to the test with this quick quiz on blue idioms. Can you match each colourful expression to its correct meaning? And if you enjoy this one, head over to the Mingle-ish YouTube channel for plenty more English quizzes to test your skills.
Further learning
Enjoyed getting to grips with these blue idioms? Don’t stop here – English has plenty more strange, wonderful and slightly confusing expressions waiting for you.
If you like idioms, why not explore our Phrasal Verbs and discover why look up, look after and look out can mean completely different things?
Or, if you enjoy the more peculiar side of English, take a look at our Eggcorns and Mondegreens pages. They’re full of phrases that people have heard slightly differently – sometimes for years – without realising they’ve got them wrong.
There’s plenty more linguistic weirdness where that came from!