Sayings which incorporate colour

Every cloud has a silver lining. Richard of York gave battle in vain. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Pitch black: somewhere that is very dark, and you are unable to see anything. Black collar: formerly referred to those whose collars were often black by the nature of their jobs, for example, coal miners and oil workers.

The idiom has morphed and now refers to those who work in creative type jobs such as artists, graphic designers, video producers, etc. Black tie: a formal event or affair. It also refers to the attire of male guests wearing black bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets. Blackball : voting against someone in a secret manner to prevent them from becoming a member of a club. Black sheep can also refer to someone who is a disgrace or embarrassment to a group such as 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. Please note: Some of the terms above illustrate how historically black has been equated to negativity.

Today, that idea is outmoded. Using the word black in a negative context could be hurtful. Like color, words are a powerful tool. Please always choose both your words and colors wisely. Once in a blue moon : an event that occurs infrequently. Blue ribbon : first place; to describe something as being of the highest quality.

B lue law : laws about morality issues. Blue-color: relating to manual work or workers, particularly in industry Talk a blue streak: when someone talks very much and very rapidly. Brown out : a partial loss of electrical power. Also a medical term for someone who ends up with dimmed vision due to a loss of blood pressure.

A brownout is also the term used for the state of heavy alcohol consumption verging on a blackout. Golden handshake: a large sum of money that is paid to a retiring manager or director, or to a redundant worker. Golden boy: term used for someone to idolized for a great skill, usually in sport or for someone in a company thought to have the skills to make it successful.

Gray market : the business of buying or selling items that are priced below what has been regulated. Grey-collar: refers to the balance of employed people not classified as white or blue-collar. These workers often have licenses, associate degrees or diplomas from a trade or technical school in a particular field have a specific skill set and require more specialized knowledge than their blue-collar counterparts.

Green : young, fresh and growing or something that is not yet ripe or finished. Get or give the green light : get approval to move ahead or proceed with a project or task. Gr eenmai l : An antitakeover measure to ward off an unfriendly company that is threatening a hostile takeover.

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. Going gree n : when someone or something makes changes to help protect the environment, or reduces waste or pollution.

Greener pastures : something newer, more interesting, better or perceived to be better , such as a new job, place or activity. Green with envy : jealous or envious. Greenhorn : novice, trainee, beginner. Green around the gills : marked by a pale, sickly, or nauseated appearance. In the pink : in good health -- this phrase hasn't always had this meaning. Pink elephant : term to describe hallucinations during intoxication.

See pink elephants: when someone sees things that are not really there, because they are lost in their imagination. Pink collar : refers to a particular class of jobs once only filled by women. Purple prose : an elaborately written poem or paragraph in literature. Born to the purple : a person who is born into a noble or royal family.

Red carpet treatment : giving privileged treatment to an important person. Beet red: dark red such as the color of beetroot, usually used to describe the color of a face of an embarrassed person. Red flag : a warning of danger or a signal that something is not working properly or correctly. Red letter day : a memorable, joyful day. Red tape : excessive formalities in governmental process. What a colorful way to begin my day online! I was familiar with most of these proverbs and saying swathed in color but did learn a few new ones, thank you.

Great collection of English idioms. Idiomatic expressions like this are fun to translate in classes to other languages, so I use this fact often when I teach - the easiest way to remember new information is by having great fun. Love was a feeling completely bound up with color, like thousands of rainbows superimposed one on top of the other.

You can certainly tell a lot of work was put into this page. I'm really enjoying this. And as much as red is my favorite color, on this page I'm a little partial to blue. Yes, I too think English is a very expressive language, and when I write poetry the range of words and meanings make it easy to convey thoughts. This was a fun lens to read. Since about I write my poetry in English, which I think is a beautiful language to express oneself poetically.

What a colorful personality you have! In public schools in the U. We call the program that supports their language acquisition ESL, which stands for English as a second language. I love idioms, and this list is just fab. A few new ones for me, but then English IS a second language. I'd translate 'to be in the black' as 'to have no debt' though. Fun lens! I love creative ways of exploring language -- in fact I'm the language angel now, so you've been blessed! About color: did you know that different languages divide up colors differently?

In Latin and Greek, for example, there really was not a specific word for orange. Latin words for yellow tend to be used for grass-green.