List of Colour Idioms in English

7/27/2019 List of Colour Idioms in English

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List of Colour Idioms in English

Black

black and white,black out,black sheep, in the black

Blue

appear/happen out of the blue,blue pencil something,

blue-eyed boy,bolt from the blue, look / feel blue,blue inthe face, once in a blue moon,men/boys in blue

Brown

be browned off

Colourlessbe colourless,be off colour,give/lend colour to, highly

coloured report, in his true colours,in ones true colours,

with flying colours,paint in bright/dark colours

Green

be green,green with envy, give someone the green,get

the green light, grass is always greener on the other side,green belt, light green thumb

Golden

golden opportunity, golden handshake,golden boy

Pink

tickled pinkRed

be shown the red card,be in the red,catch someone red-handed, look through rose-coloured/tinted spectacles, see

red, red tape,see the red light,paint the town red light,

roll out the red carpet, redneck

Silver

silver screen

White

as white as a sheet, white elephant,white as a ghost,

white lie, white-collar worker

Yellowyellow-bellied, yellow streak

Black

black and white

MEANING: think of everything or judge everything as

either good or bad

EXAMPLE:

He tries to see everything in black and white although

he knows this is impossible.

black outMEANING: 1. to darken by putting out or dimming

electric lights

2. to lose consciousness

EXAMPLE:

1. During the war people in the cities were forced to

black out their windows so that the enemy aircraft couldnot see them.

2. Suddenly the man blacked out during the parade and

had to be helped to a quiet place.

black sheep (of the family)

MEANING: a person who is a disgrace or

embarrassment to a family or group

EXAMPLE:

The man is the black sheep in his family and is the only

member who has not had a successful career and life.

in the black

MEANING: successful or profitable

EXAMPLE:The company has been in the black since they began to

adopt many new ideas to cut costs.

Blue

to appear/happen out of the blue

MEANING:

1. to arrive unexpectedly, usually after a long absence.

2. to happen very suddenly and unexpectedly

EXAMPLE:

1. My brother suddenly appeared out of the blue

yesterday. We hadnt seen him for years.2. I was driving home when out of the blue a deer

jumped out in front of my car. I braked just in time toavoid it. We were both very lucky not to be hurt.

to blue pencil something

MEANING: to censor something.

EXAMPLE:

Reports on the mistreatment of the political prisonerswere blue pencilled by the authorities

a blue-eyed boyMEANING: critical description of a boy/young man whas been singled out for special favours by someone in

authority.

EXAMPLE:

John is a real blue-eyed boy. The team manager alway

gives him special treatment. It isnt fair to the rest of us

a bolt from the blue

MEANING: some unexpected bad news.

EXAMPLE:

It came like a bolt from the blue that they are gettingdivorced.

to look / feel blue

MEANING: to look / feel depressed or discontented

EXAMPLE:

Things are looking blue for Tom these days. His wifehas left him.
http://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#black%20and%20whitehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#black%20outhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#black%20outhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#black%20sheephttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#in%20the%20blackhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20appear/happen%20out%20of%20the%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20blue%20pencil%20somethinghttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20blue-eyed%20boyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20bolt%20from%20the%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20look%20/%20feel%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#blue%20in%20the%20facehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#blue%20in%20the%20facehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#blue%20in%20the%20facehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#once%20in%20a%20blue%20moonhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#men/boys%20in%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#men/boys%20in%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20browned%20offhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20colourlesshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20off%20colourhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20off%20colourhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20give/lend%20colour%20tohttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20give/lend%20colour%20tohttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20highly%20coloured%20reporthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20highly%20coloured%20reporthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20someone%20in%20his%20true%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20show%20oneself%20in%20ones%20true%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20show%20oneself%20in%20ones%20true%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#with%20flying%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20paint%20in%20bright/dark%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20greenhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#green%20with%20envyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#green%20with%20envyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#give%20someone%20the%20green%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#get%20the%20green%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#get%20the%20green%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#get%20the%20green%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#grass%20is%20always%20greener%20on%20the%20other%20sidehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#green%20belthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#green%20thumbhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20golden%20opportunityhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20golden%20handshakehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20golden%20boyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20golden%20boyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#tickled%20pinkhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20shown%20the%20red%20cardhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20in%20the%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20catch%20someone%20red-handedhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20catch%20someone%20red-handedhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20catch%20someone%20red-handedhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20look%20through%20rose-coloured/tinted%20spectacleshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#red%20tapehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#red%20tapehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20the%20red%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#paint%20the%20town%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#paint%20the%20town%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#roll%20out%20the%20red%20carpethttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20redneckhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#the%20silver%20screenhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#as%20white%20as%20a%20sheethttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#white%20elephanthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#white%20as%20a%20ghosthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#white%20as%20a%20ghosthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20white%20liehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20white-collar%20workerhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#yellow-belliedhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20yellow%20streakhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#black%20outhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#black%20sheephttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#in%20the%20blackhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20appear/happen%20out%20of%20the%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20blue%20pencil%20somethinghttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20blue-eyed%20boyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20bolt%20from%20the%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20look%20/%20feel%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#blue%20in%20the%20facehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#blue%20in%20the%20facehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#once%20in%20a%20blue%20moonhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#men/boys%20in%20bluehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20browned%20offhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20colourlesshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20off%20colourhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20give/lend%20colour%20tohttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20highly%20coloured%20reporthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20highly%20coloured%20reporthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20someone%20in%20his%20true%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20show%20oneself%20in%20ones%20true%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#with%20flying%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20paint%20in%20bright/dark%20colourshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20greenhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#green%20with%20envyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#give%20someone%20the%20green%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#get%20the%20green%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#get%20the%20green%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#grass%20is%20always%20greener%20on%20the%20other%20sidehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#green%20belthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#green%20thumbhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20golden%20opportunityhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20golden%20handshakehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20golden%20boyhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#tickled%20pinkhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20shown%20the%20red%20cardhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20be%20in%20the%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20catch%20someone%20red-handedhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20catch%20someone%20red-handedhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20look%20through%20rose-coloured/tinted%20spectacleshttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#red%20tapehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#to%20see%20the%20red%20lighthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#paint%20the%20town%20redhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#roll%20out%20the%20red%20carpethttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20redneckhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#the%20silver%20screenhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#as%20white%20as%20a%20sheethttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#white%20elephanthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#white%20as%20a%20ghosthttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20white%20liehttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20white-collar%20workerhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#yellow-belliedhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#a%20yellow%20streakhttp://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_idioms/id-c.htm#black%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blue in the face

MEANING: to make a huge but vain effort to win a

persons agreement.

EXAMPLE:

I told him he was making a mistake until I was blue in

the face but he wouldnt listen.

once in a blue moon

MEANING: to occur extremely rarely or only once in a

life-time.EXAMPLE:

My brother only rings home once in a blue moon. I wish

he would ring our parents more often

men/boys in blue

MEANING: the police because of the colour of theiruniforms.

EXAMPLE:

Lets get out of here! The boys in blue are coming.

Brownto be browned off

MEANING: to be bored, annoyed at something

EXAMPLE:

Im browned off with this place. There is nothing to do

here.

Colourless

to be colourless

MEANING: to lack personality, to be boring.

EXAMPLE:

Nothing he said stands out in my memory. Im afraidhes a dull, colourless man.

to be off colour

MEANING: to be not quite at ones best, to feel queasyor slightly ill.

EXAMPLE:

Shes a little off colour today because she was up verylate last night and had too much to drink!.

to give/lend colour to

MEANING: to make (an account, story, explanation,etc.) more credible or more believable.

EXAMPLE:

The broken window on the ground floor lent colour toher story that

her house had been burgled

a highly coloured report

MEANING: a report that is exaggerated or biased.

EXAMPLE:

I read the governments highly coloured report on the

great state of the health services.

to see someone in his true colours

MEANING: to understand someones true character,

often for the first time.

EXAMPLE:As soon as he made a fuss about returning her money

saw him in his true colours.

to show oneself in ones true colours

MEANING: to reveal ones true nature.

EXAMPLE:

When he lost his temper at the party, he showed hims

in his true colours

with flying colours

MEANING: with great success, with distinction.EXAMPLE:

We were all expecting him to fail, but he passed withflying colours.

to paint in bright/dark colours

MEANING: to describe something in a flattering or

unflattering way.

EXAMPLE:

My brother pretended he was doing well financially a

painted his life there in the brightest colours.

Green

to be green

MEANING: inexperienced, immature

EXAMPLE:

He is rather green and doesnt have enough experience

drive the large piece of machinery yet.

green with envy

MEANING: full of envy, very jealous

EXAMPLE:

I was green with envy when I heard that she would begoing to London for a month while I had to stay and

work.

give someone the green light

MEANING: give permission to go ahead with a projec

EXAMPLE:

We were finally given the green light to begin setting u

the new project.


3/4

get the green light

MEANING: receive permission to go ahead with a

project

EXAMPLE:

We got the green light to go ahead with the new

advertising campaign.

grass is always greener on the other side

MEANING: a place that is far away or different seems

better than where we are nowEXAMPLE:

He realized that the grass is always greener on the other

side when he saw that his new job wasnt perfect and hadits own problems too.

green belt

MEANING: an area of fields and trees around a town

EXAMPLE:

The city has a policy of increasing the green belt aroundthe city.

green thumb

MEANING: a talent for gardening, ability to makethings grow

EXAMPLE:

She has a green thumb and is able to grow one of the bestgardens in our neighbourhood.

Golden

a golden opportunity

MEANING: a great opportunity that might never come

againEXAMPLE:This is a golden opportunity to make a business deal with

that big company.

a golden handshake

MEANING: a large sum of money paid to a retiring

manager or director, or to a redundant worker.

EXAMPLE:

The company chairman received a huge golden

handshake on retiring.

a golden boy

MEANING: a young man idolized for a great skill,

usually in sport.

EXAMPLE:

David Beckham is the golden boy of English soccer

Pink

tickled pink

MEANING: be very pleased, thrilled, delighted

EXAMPLE:

She was tickled pink that you made the effort to go and

visit her when you were in town.

Red

to be shown the red card

MEANING: to be dismissed from your job.EXAMPLE:

The accountant was shown the red card for hiding

company money.

to be in the red

MEANING: to have an overdraft, to be in debt.

EXAMPLE:

I am overdrawn again. I hate being in the red.

to catch someone red-handed

MEANING: to catch someone in the act of committincrime, usually a theft.

EXAMPLE:

The manager caught the new employee red-handed

taking money out of the box.

to look through rose-coloured/tinted spectacles

MEANING: to see things in a flattering or over-

optimistic light.

EXAMPLE:

It annoys me that she sees everything through rose-

coloured spectacles, butshe would feel differently if she had to live there.

to see red

MEANING: to react with uncontrollable rage againstsomeone or something.

EXAMPLE:

John saw red when he saw his girlfriend laughing withanother guy.

red tape

MEANING: bureaucratic delay, excessive attention torules and regulations, often resulting in injustice to the

ordinary citizen.

EXAMPLE:

I want to start a new business but the red tape involve

is very frustrating.


4/4

to see the red light

MEANING: to recognize approaching danger, the red

light being a danger signal.

EXAMPLE:

When the doctor warned his patient that further drinking

would damage his liver, the man saw the red light andquit.

paint the town red

MEANING: go out and party and have a good timeEXAMPLE:

When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out

and paint the town red.

roll out the red carpet

MEANING: greet a person with great respect, give a bigwelcome

EXAMPLE:

When Nelson Mandela visited Washington, they rolledout the red carpet and gave him a great welcome.

a redneck

MEANING: an ignorant, insensitive person.

EXAMPLE:

Our new co-worker is a real redneck. He doesnt seem to

know anything about life.

Silver

the silver screen

MEANING: the cinema

EXAMPLE:Valentino was one of the earliest stars of the silverscreen.

White

as white as a sheet

MEANING: in a state of great fear

EXAMPLE:

You look like youve just seen a ghost. Your face is as

white as a sheet.

white elephant

MEANING: a useless possession

EXAMPLE:

The new stereo that he bought is a white elephant and he

doesnt need it at all.

white as a ghost

MEANING: very pale because of fear, shock, illness e

EXAMPLE:

My sister became white as a ghost when she saw the m

at the window.

a white lie

MEANING: a harmless lie (told to be polite or to do

something not seriously wrong)

EXAMPLE:I told my boss a white lie and said that I was sick

yesterday when actually I wasnt.

a white-collar worker

MEANING: a professional or office worker who wear

shirt with a white collar.

EXAMPLE:

The recession has hit factory workers (blue-collar

workers) much harder than white-collar workers.

Yellow

yellow-bellied

MEANING: extremely timid, cowardly

EXAMPLE:

He is a yellow-bellied coward and never is willing tofight for what is right.

a yellow streak

MEANING: cowardice in character

EXAMPLE:

He has a yellow streak running down his back and is noa good person to expect to support you when thingsbecome difficult.

Documents

List of Colour Idioms in English