| The English language contains dozens of idioms involving colour. The interpretation of these phrases or sayings is not so simple as to know the meaning of the individual words. For example a "white lie" is not a lie that is the colour white. The meaning of a "white lie" is a small lie which is considered to be harmless. This page defines common colour idioms. |
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Caught red-handed Caught in the act of committing a crime or a reprehensible act; or caught with substantive evidence of having committed such an act Cut through the red tape To bypass superfluous procedures In the red Losing money; to be in debt; not meeting quotas Not worth a red cent Insignificant value Ones ears are red Embarrassed Paint the town red To go out, (on the town,) and party/have a good time Red carpet treatment OR Rolling out the red carpet Giving a high standard of treatment in regards to hospitality. In some cases this involves a literal red carpet for the esteemed guest(s) to walk upon at the entrance of their destination. Red-eye An airplane flight whose duration is during the night; leaves late at night and arrive early in the morning Red flag A warning of danger, a sign to stop and not approach Red Herring Something that diverts attention away from what is important, a distraction, a false lead Red hot
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Red in the face
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Red letter A joyous event or day Red tape Time consuming procedures that seem needless and excessive Seeing red To be angry |
| Orange |
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If anyone knows an orange idiom please e-mail it to me. |
| Yellow |
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Have a yellow streak To be cowardly Yellow bellied, Coward, easily frightened Yellow journalism Journalism which uses sensationalism or false information to get peoples attention |
| Green |
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Get the green light Receive approval to proceed with a task Going green Becoming environmentally friendly Green
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Green around the gills To look ill Green-eyed monster Jealousy Greenhorn Inexperienced, novice, beginner Greener pastures Somewhere better or more favourable Green Thumb A proficiency at nurturing plants Green with envy Jealous The grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence) A situation or place in the distance seems better than ones current circumstance, with an undertone that the greener grass is an illusion caused by the distance Turning green OR turn green To look like one is becoming ill |
| Blue |
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Blue blood Nobility, royalty Blue collar worker A class of workers that perform manual labour Blue comedy Humour that is considered indecent, profane, or with taboo subject matter Blue law A law that enforces religious standards Blue plate special A meal offered at a reduced price Blue ribbon High quality, first place Feeling Blue, the Blues Sad, depressed Once in a blue moon An extremely rare occurrence Out of the blue An unexpected event This well known phrase is also the name of multiple songs, albums, performers, films, and TV series Talk a blue streak To talk rapidly for a long time True blue Loyal, faithful, unwavering Often used in terms of friendship Until one is blue in the face To do something repeatedly or for a long time without achieving the desired result. The idea of talking for so long that the skin of ones face turns bluish due to lack of oxygen. |
| Purple |
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Born to/in the purple Member of a royal family or family of nobility; in order for the baby to be born in the purple the parents must be of high ranking or prominence at the time of the child’s birth Purple prose, OR Purple patches, OR Purple passages A criticism of writing that is considered to be extravagant or flowery; a passage that distracts from the flow of the piece |
| Pink |
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In the pink Originally meant to be at the peak or best of something; modernly refers to the peak of health or good health Pink collar A classification of low paid jobs that were filled by women before sexual equality Pink elephant A hallucination caused by intoxication; to see something that is only there in ones imagination Pink slip Employment termination notice See the world though rose coloured glasses Unduly favourable view of things, to see only the good things Tickled pink To be delighted or gratified; the idea of being so happy that one flushes pink |
| Brown |
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Brown bagging To bring a lunch from home to work instead of buying one during lunch break Brown out A reduction of electrical power usually caused by high consumption levels Brown study The state of mind of someone who is deep in thought Browned off Annoyed or fed up |
| White |
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White Christmas Snow on Christmas day White elephant A valuable possession that costs a great deal to maintain, the possession in of itself often has little usefulness and the owner can not be rid of it. White feather Sign of cowardice White flag A signal of surrender White goods
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White hot So hot that white light is emitted; zealous or intense feeling White lie A small lie which is considered to be harmless often told to maintain tactfulness; usually well-intentioned White sale A sale of household linens Show the white feather Act of cowardice To Whitewash (something) Cover-up errors and hide faults |
| Grey |
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Grey area An intermediate area, between two or more things and not fully belonging to either Grey market Genuine
goods that are bought and
sold at prices lower than
a regulatory agency sets Grey matter Intelligence, brains Grey mood A gloomy mood |
| Black |
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Black and blue Badly busied; the term stemming from the dark colouring of severe bruising Blackball A negative vote often to keep someone from becoming a member of an organization Black comedy, OR Black humour Morbid or taboo subjects treated humorously while maintaining their seriousness Black list A list of entities that are being denied a service or privilege Blackmail The use of threatening to extort something desired by the extortionist Black market Illegal buying and selling of goods that may be scarce or rare and as such have high prices Black out A loss of consciousness OR A loss of electrical power Black tie event/affair An event where the dress code is semi-formal and the men where bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets Black Sheep A member of a group, often in terms of a family, who is considered disreputable or deviates from standards maintained in the rest of the group In black and white In writing or print In the black Prosperous, fulfilling ones quota The pot calling the kettle black One person criticizing another for a behaviour that they themselves have also committed |