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Examples of colour idioms
An idiom is a fixed expression with a certain meaning. Here are some examples:
• If you keep spending your money like this you will be soon in the red.
• Oh come one, we all tell a white lie sometimes, don't we?
• When I left the house this morning the street was covered with black ice all over.
• see red • green with envy • rose coloured spectacles • tickled pink
• black sheep of the family • caught red handed • blue-eyed boy
• browned off • out of the blue • in the red • get the green light
• have green fingers • black market • white lie
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Colour idioms explained
• 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 in the face, once in a blue moon, men/boys in blue
• Brown
be browned off
• Colourless
be colourless, be off colour, give/lend colour to, highly coloured report, in his true colours, in one's 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 pink
• Red
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
• Yellow
yellow-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 out
Meaning: 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 could not see them. 2. Suddenly the man blacked out during the parade and had to be helped to a quiet place.
• lack 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 hadn't 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 to avoid 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 prisoners were blue pencilled by the authorities”
• A blue-eyed boy
Meaning: critical description of a boy/young man who has been singled out for special favours by someone in authority.
Example: ”John is a real blue-eyed boy. The team manager always gives him special treatment. It isn’t 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 getting divorced.”
• To look / feel blue
Meaning: - to look / feel depressed or discontented.
Example: "Things are looking blue for Tom these days. His wife has left him."
• Blue in the face
Meaning: to make a huge but vain effort to win a person's agreement.
Example: “I told him he was making a mistake until I was blue in the face but he wouldn’t 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 their uniforms.
Example: "Let’s get out of here! The boys in blue are coming."
• Brown
• to be browned off
Meaning: to be bored, annoyed at something
Example: I’m 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. I'm afraid he's a dull, colourless man.'
• To be off colour
Meaning: to be not quite at one's best, to feel queasy or slightly ill.
Example: "She's a little off colour today because she was up very late 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 to her story that her house had been burgled"
• A highly coloured report
Meaning: a report that is exaggerated or biased.
Example: "I read the government’s highly coloured report on the great state of the health services."
• To see someone in his true colours
Meaning: to understand someone's true character, often for the first time.
Example: ”As soon as he made a fuss about returning her money, I saw him in his true colours."
• To show oneself in one's true colours
Meaning: to reveal one's true nature.
Example: "'When he lost his temper at the party, he showed himself in his true colours"
• With flying colours
Meaning: with great success, with distinction.
Example: “We were all expecting him to fail, but he passed with flying 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 and painted his life there in the brightest colours.”
• Green
• To be green
Meaning: inexperienced, immature
Example: He is rather green and doesn’t have enough experience to 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 be going 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 project
Example: We were finally given the green light to begin setting up the new project.
• 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 now
Example: He realized that the grass is always greener on the other side when he saw that his new job wasn’t perfect and had its 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 around the city.
• Green thumb
Meaning: a talent for gardening, ability to make things grow
Example: She has a green thumb and is able to grow one of the best gardens in our neighbourhood.
• Golden
• a golden opportunity
Meaning: a great opportunity that might never come again
Example: 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 committing a crime, 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, but she would feel differently if she had to live there."
• To see red
Meaning: to react with uncontrollable rage against someone or something.
Example: "John saw red when he saw his girlfriend laughing with another guy."
• Red tape
Meaning: bureaucratic delay, excessive attention to rules and regulations, often resulting in injustice to the ordinary citizen.
Example: "I want to start a new business but the red tape involved is very frustrating."
• 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 and quit."
• Paint the town red
Meaning: go out and party and have a good time
Example: ”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 big welcome
Example: When Nelson Mandela visited Washington, they rolled out 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 doesn’t seem to know anything about life."
• Silver
• The silver screen
Meaning: the cinema
Example: Valentino was one of the earliest stars of the silver screen.
• White
• As white as a sheet
Meaning: in a state of great fear
Example: You look like you’ve 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 doesn’t need it at all.
• White as a ghost
Meaning: very pale because of fear, shock, illness etc.
Example: My sister became white as a ghost when she saw the man 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 wasn’t.
• A white-collar worker
Meaning: a professional or office worker who wear a 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 to fight for what is right.
• A yellow streak
Meaning: cowardice in character
Example: He has a yellow streak running down his back and is not a good person to expect to support you when things become difficult.
Colour Idioms: Definitions
• black and white: thinking of everything or judging everything in a simple way and seeing it as either good or bad. The situation isn't as black and white as it seems; it's much more complicated.
• black out: to darken by putting out the electric lights or covering over the windows. Londoners had to black out their windows during the war so that the enemy aircraft could not see the city.
• black out: to lose consciousness. He blacked out after standing up for three hours in the parade. First aid staff attended to him.
• blue in the face: to be very angry or upset; to be excited and very emotional. She argued with her husband until she was blue in the face but he wouldn't see her point of view.
• green: to be inexperienced and/or immature. He's a bit green - he still believes that someone is going to come and help him out of his situation. He doesn't realise he has to do it himself.
• the grass is always greener (on the other side) when a place that is far away or different seems better than the place where we are now
• He must be crazy to leave the company; he's got a great job and a great salary. He really should stay where he is but he can't see it - the grass is always greener on the other side.
• green with envy: to be very jealous and full of envy. I was green with envy when I heard that she was going on holiday to Spain for a week while I had to stay and work.
• in the red; to have debts. The company has been in the red for two years now. We now owe over $500,000 to our suppliers and the bank.
• red tape; excessive bureaucracy. Many businesses complain about the amount of red tape that they must deal with in former Eastern-bloc countries.
• out of the blue; when something happens without a warning, by surprise. His decision to leave the company came completely out of the blue. No one expected it at all..
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Color-related Idioms
Black
• black and blue - 1. bruised [from appearance]1
• black and white - 1. clearly distinct or different [as in "as different as black and white"] 2. obvious and clear, as in print [as in "there it is, in black and white"]1
• black humor2
• black market2
• black out2 - 1. to lose consciousness1
• black sheep - 1. outcast, esp. of a family [as a single black sheep among a family of white sheep]1
• black tie - 1. formal [from appropriate dress]1
• blackball2
• blacklist2
• blackout - 1. loss of electricity4
• blackmail - to use detrimental information as leverage in controlling the actions (often extorting payment) of others
• in the black
• the pot calling the kettle black - a worse offender [citing the guilt of] a lesser offender
Blue
• blue - sad
• blue blood - royal, regal
• blue funk -very depressed [as in "she was in a blue funk"]
• blue law
• blue Monday
• blue movies - movies with explicit sex
• blue print
• blue ribbon - first rate [from the customary award given for first place]
• blue stocking
• blue streak
• blue-collar workers - laborers
• blue-pencil
• once in a blue moon
• out of the blue
• sing the blues; have the blues
• true blue
Brown
• brown out - partial loss of electricity
• brown nose - slightly vulgar, refers to flattering someone in a position of power in order to obtain favors
• in a brown study - seriously contemplating something
Gray
• gray area - a context or section, as of a law, which is easily disputable; a "murky area"
• gray matter - brain (the organ). intelligence
Green
• chiste verde ("green joke") - 1. In Spanish, a dirty joke3
• green around the gills2
• green light2
• green with envy2
• having a green thumb - 1. able to make plants grow well4
• Things are starting to green up around here - 1. Spring has arrived [the color of new vegetation that comes with spring]4
Pink
• in the pink2
• pink lady - 1. an alcoholic drink4
• pink slip2
• pink-collar workers - 1. office workers, esp. women3
• pinkies - 1. the little fingers4
• tickled pink2
• purple
• born to the purple2
• purple passion2
• purple prose2
Red
• in the red2
• one red cent2
• red eye2
• red flag2
• red herring - 1. a topic thrown into a discussion in order to mislead4
• red hot - 1. exciting4
• red hots - 1. small spicy candies4
• red meat - 1. beef4
• red neck2
• red tape - 1. bureaucratic seemingly time-wasting paperwork.6
• red-faced - 1. embarrassed3
• red-handed - 1. in the middle of the act1
• red-letter day2
• roll out the red carpet2
• to see red2
Rose
• rose-colored glasses2
• rosy2
White
• white as a sheet - 1. pale, frightened4
• white elephant2
• white flag2
• white heat2
• white lie2
• white paper2
• white tie2
• white-collar workers - 1. management3
• whitewash2
Yellow
• yellow - cowardly4
• yellow journalism2
• "Yellow Peril" - 1. the (quite exaggerated) fear of the large population of China and its population growth rate.5
• yellow-dog2
• to have a yellow streak down one's back - 1. cowardly3
Black
• Black and blue - Bruised. "After the fight, they were both black and blue."
• Black and white - Clearly distinct or different. "It's as plain as black and white."
• Blackball - A negative vote, esp. one that blocks someone from admission to an organization. "We are hoping he can join our club, but it only takes two votes to blackball new applicants."
• Black box - Electronic device to measure the performance of an aircraft or other vehicle. "They could not determine why the plane crashed until the black box was recovered."
• Black cloud - A problem or worry. "He always looks like there's a black cloud hanging over him."
• Black Dog day - Melancholy, depression. "Sir Winston [Churchill] never had a Black Dog day at La Pausa."
• Black Friday - The Friday after the U. S. Thanksgiving Day holiday. A major Christmas shopping day and so-called "...because it's the day retailer balance sheets move out of the red and into the black..." (CNN.com, Nov. 29, 2002). "If we don't make up our losses after Black Friday, we'll have to close the store."
• Black humor - Juxtaposition of sad or depressing issues with comical ones so as to shock or disturb. "Hollywood often uses black humor films such as "Dr. Strangelove" to describe the folly of military policy."
• Blackleg - Replacement workers used during a strike. "They could keep the factory open only by using blacklegs."
• Black list - List of disapproved persons or organizations. "In the 1950s a number of Hollywood actors were blacklisted because they were suspected of being Communists."
• Black look - A look of disapproval. "Every time she mentioned painting the house, he gave her a black look."
• Blackmail - Extortion (verb). "Because he had the photographs he was able to blackmail her."
• Blackmail - Extortion (noun). "Because he had the photographs she was subject to blackmail."
• Black market - Illegal selling of goods, services, currency, etc. "He was arrested for selling cigarettes on the black market."
• Blackout - Loss of electricity. "All the food in the refrigerator spoiled because of the blackout."
• Blackout - Loss of memory. "The blackout happened when he fell and hit his head."
• Blackout - Censorship. "We were unable to find out who planted the bomb because of the news blackout."
• Blackout - Concealment of lighting. "It was hard for the aircraft to hit their targets at night because of the blackout."
• Black sheep - Considered disgraced or disapproved. "Because of her tattoo she was the black sheep of the family."
• Black side - Seeing only the bad feaatures of something. "His problem is that he always looks on the black side of things."
• Black Thursday - Oct. 24, 1929. "The Great Depression began on Black Thursday."
• Blacktie- Formal attire. "Dress for the wedding is strictly black tie."
• In the Black - Financially solvent. "Lee earns a thousand dollars a week. He's always in the black."
• The pot calling the kettle black - Something dirty or unclean saying that something (or someone) else is dirty. "For Adolph Hitler to call Joseph Stalin a dictator is like the pot calling the kettle black."
Blue
• Blue or blues - Sad, depressed. "He was really blue after losing his job." OR "He really had the blues after losing his job."  Also: Pink slip blues - sad over losing a job.
• Blues - Slow, mournful music, esp. from U. S. southern Black American secular songs. "Why don't you come with us to the Musicale Club tomorrow night--it's Blues Night and the music will be great!"
• Blue blood - Royalty, aristocratic. "We could tell they were blue bloods by the way they talked to us."
• Blue book - Register or list of prominent persons. "It was a real "society" wedding-everyone invited was in the blue book."
• Blue book - Specialized information issued by the government. "The Transportation Department's blue book contained the new automobile safety specifications."
• Blue book - School examination booklet. "You MUST complete the test using a blue book."
• Blue book - Booklet with used car prices. "The insurance company would pay no more than the blue book value to repair the damage."
• Blue chip - Dependable, high quality. "Even though the stock market fell sharply, the blue chip stocks held their value."
• Blue-collar - Laborer. "The blue-collar workers voted to form a union."
• Blue funk - Depressed. "She was in a blue funk after losing her boyfriend."
• Blue law - Laws limiting sales on Sunday or the Sabbath. "He could not buy beer in town because of its blue laws."
• Blue Monday - Rough day. "I started the day by declaring it a Blue Monday."
• Blue moon - Relatively long period of time. "He only cleans his room once in a blue moon."
• Blue movie - Movie with explicit sex. "They went to the red-light district to see a blue movie."
• Blue nose - A puritanical person. "She doesn't dance or sing or have any fun; she's a real blue nose."
• Blue ribbon - First prize. "She won a blue ribbon for her apple pie."
• Blue ribbon - First rate, high quality. "The mayor appointed a blue-ribbon committee to investigate the charges of police corruption."
• Blue stockings - A woman with strong literary or scholarly connections. "She was well-known for her blue-stockings salons-all the most famous writers and critics came at one time or another."
• Blue streak - Non-stop. "When I asked her about her boyfriend she talked a blue streak."
• Blue-pencil - Edit (verb). "As soon as you blue pencil the draft I will take it over for typing."
• Out of the blue - Surprise. "The news of the factory's closing came out of the blue. No one was expecting it."
• True-blue - Loyal, faithful. "One nice thing about dogs is that they make true-blue companions."
• Blue in the face - Sad, dejected. "After the breakup with her boyfriend, she was really blue in the face."
Brown
• Brown bag - Take a lunch to work. "I have to brown bag it these days--am watching my money!"
• Brown nose - Flattering someone in a position of power to obtain favors. "He is a real brown-noser: always running errands for the boss, getting her coffee, and jumping at every little thing."
• Brown-out - Partial loss or reduction of electricity. "Because of the heat wave, the electrical company initiated a series of rolling brown-outs."
• Brown shirts - Fascists or Nazis - "They will do anything to further their cause; they are brown shirts."
• Brown study - Serious review or look. "The details of the two companies merger required a brown study."
Gold
• Golden handshake - Lucrative severance package (Note 1). "After the merger, the president was offered a golden handshake to resign his position."
• Golden opportunity - Fantastic chance. "Buying land at these prices is a golden opportunity to invest in the future."
• Golden parachute - Lucrative severance package (Note 2). "His sudden departure from the company was cushioned by a golden parachute."
NOTE 1: "Buy-out" arrangements made after a person has been hired.
NOTE 2: Arrangements included in the hiring contract.
Gray
• Gray - Dated, old. "Her ideas about morality on television were gray--she's definitely living in the 50's."
• Gray area - Unclear, easily disputed. "Whether or not they could camp in the park was a gray area of the law."
• Gray matter - The brain, intelligence. "You can figure out the problem if you just use your gray matter."
Green
• Green around the gills - New, inexperienced. "He's still learning the office procedures-he's green around the gills."
• Green with envy - Jealous. "When she saw the two of them together she was green with envy."
• Green - New, inexperienced. "He's doing the best he can but he is still green."
• Green light - Approval. "The bank gave us the loan! Now we have the green light to start the project!"
• Having a green thumb - Able to make plants grow easily. "Look at her garden-she really has a green thumb."
• Starting to green up - Spring has arrived. "It's been a long, cold winter; I'm glad things are starting to green up."
• Grass is always greener [on the other side of the fence] - Something or someplace where things are (or imagined to be) better. "When he was given extra responsibilities at his new job, he realized the grass isn't always greener on the other side."
Pink
• Pink-collar - Women workers. "Although men ran the factory, most of the work was performed by pink-collar workers."
• Pink elephants - Dreaming or hallucinating. "If you think the bank is going to give you the loan, you are seeing pink elephants."
• In the pink - Healthy. "After being sick for so long, it's great to be in the pink again."
• Pink Lady - An alcoholic drink. "We all ordered beers, except Bev wanted a Pink Lady."
• Pink slip - Termination notice from a job. "After the companies merged, five hundred people got the pink slip."  Also: Pink slip blues - sad over losing a job.
• Pinkies - Little fingers. "She has beautiful hands and really long pinkies."
• Tickled pink - Very happy. "When they won the soccer game they were tickled pink."
Purple
• Purple with rage - Suffused with blood. "She was so angry she was purple with rage."
• Born to the purple - Of imperial status. "He felt he could do anything he wanted because he was born to the purple."
• Purple passion - An Alcoholic drink. "Everyone else ordered martinis, but he ordered a purple passion."
• Purple prose - Embellished, showy, elaborate. "Her novel was interesting but it contained too much purple prose."
• Raised to the purple - Refers to appointment as a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. [This is technically incorrect, as Cardinals wear scarlet; it appears to refer to their appointment as "royalty" within the Church.] - "Englishmen raised to the purple"; John Adamson on the select few appointed to the `Sacred College of Cardinals', the body which elects the Pope. (London, Sunday Telegraph, 8/19/2001)
Red
• In the red - Losing money. "The audit proved the company was in the red."
• Out of the red - NOT losing money. "It took the company three years to get out of the red."
• Seeing red - Upset, angry. "The stockholders were seeing red over the company's losses."
• Red carpet - Special treatment or ceremony. "When the movie star visited, our town rolled out the red carpet. There was a parade and a special dinner in her honor."
• Paint the town red - Celebrate! "After I got the promotion my wife and I went out and painted the town red!"
• See red - Get angry. "Every time I think of the time I wasted on that girl I see red!"
• Red cent - Nothing, useless. "Frankly, I wouldn't give one red cent for her opinion."
• Red-eye - Late night airplane flight. "I'm taking the red-eye home tonight, so I'll be in the office late tomorrow."
• Red-faced - Embarassed. "Boy was I red-faced when I found out she was married!"
• Red-faced - Embarassed. "Boy was my face red when I found out she was married!"
• Red flag - Cause anger. "Mentioning her ex-husband to her is like waiving a red flag."
• Red-handed - In the act of doing something (usually wrong or illegal). "He was caught red-handed stealing the car."
• Red herring - Something that draws attention away from a central issue. "The councilman brings up some red herring every time the budget is to be discussed."
• Red hot - Very recent or explosive
1. "That information about the stock split is red hot."
2. "When first made public - red hot political news."
• Red hots - Small spicy candies. "You can choke if you eat too many of those red hots at one time."
• Red-letter day - Very special. "The day they got married was truly a red-letter day."
• Red light - Rejection, disapproval. "She was very upset when her vacation request got a red light."
• Red light district - Area for prostitution. "The guys wanted some "excitement" so they went to the red light district."
• Red meat - Beef. "Chicken is okay once in a while, but I prefer red meat."
• Red neck - Someone from the country or backwoods. "You can tell by the old truck he drives that he is a real red neck."
• Red tag sale - Special discounts. "We must go to Macy's this weekend-they have a great red tag sale."
• Red tape - Bureaucracy. "Every time you need a visa, you have to go through a lot of red tape. It's not easy and it takes a lot of time."
Rose
• Rose-colored - Cheerful, naive, overly optimistic. "She looks at the world through rose-colored glasses."
• Rosy - Bright, optimistic. "He always has such a rosy outlook on life!"
Scarlet
• Scarlet - Grossly or glaringly offensive. "We enjoyed the rock concert but didn't like the scarlet clothing the performers wore."
Silver
• Silver lining - Good amidst the bad. "Every black cloud has a silver lining."
• Silver spoon - Luxury, rich. "He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth."
White
• White-collar - Management. "The '40-hour workweek' does not apply to white-collar workers."
• White elephant - Useless, hard to maintain. "The house was beautiful and large but a real white elephant."
• White flag - Surrender. "After the last charge, the defending troops had to show the white flag."
• White heat - Very hot; intense. "When the labor negotiators started to discuss salaries, the talks became white hot."
• White lie - Trivial, harmless or well-intentioned untruth. "When he told her she looked 'very nice' it was a white lie."
• White paper - Official policy document. "The government's guidelines on immigration were outlined in the white paper released yesterday."
• White as a sheet - Scared. "After the robbery, they were as white as a sheet."
• White tie - Very formal attire. "Because the King and Queen would be present, dress for the party was to be white tie."
• Whitewash - Gloss over. "The report on the company's financial problems was clearly a white wash."
• White meat - Pork, some parts of chicken, turkey & other birds. "I do not eat beef but I can eat white meat."
• White sale - time when linens and bedding are sold at a discount. "We needed new sheets but decided to wait for the white sale."
Yellow
• Yellow - Afraid, cowardly. "Go ahead and jump--or are you yellow?"
• Yellow-bellied - extremely afraid or timid. "He is a yellow-bellied coward and will never defend himself."
• Yellow dog - Mean, contemptible. "He was well-know as a yellow-dog opponent of labor unions.
• Yellow journalism - Sensationalism, exaggeration. "The newspaper was well-know for its yellow journalism."
• Yellow light - Caution. "When he began to present the budget, he got a yellow light from the looks on their faces."
• Yellow Peril (derogatory) - Exaggerated fear of the Chinese population. "If we don't keep up our defenses in the Pacific, we will be flooded by the Yellow Peril."
• Yellow streak - Cowardly. "He should have confronted her, but he has a yellow streak down his back."
Other related sayings:
• Flying colors - Great success. "He passed the bar exam with flying colors and took us all out to dinner."
• Off color - Risque, vulgar. "He was well-known for telling off-color jokes."
• Horse of a different color - Unusual or strange; completely different. "If you want to go to London or Paris that's one thing, but if you want to go to New Delhi or Katmandu that's a horse of a different color."
• Color me out - Not interested. "I hope you have a great trip, but color me out.
• We were about to land when she suddenly turned green. She felt airsick.
• It's a bit of a grey area, isn't it? Yes, it's not at all clear what we should do.
• She went as white as a sheet. She was scared to death.
• She likes watching blue movies. In this sentence blue stands for
pornographic
• She suddenly turned as red as a beetroot. She turned red in the face with either anger or embarrassment.
• He's in a blue funk. He's very worried as he doesn't know what might happen.
• He feels blue. He feels depressed.
• His name is on the black list. He's considered either dangerous or undesirable or disloyal.
• Larry is as green as grass. He's inexperienced.
• I must have had a blackout after the accident. I must have lost consciousness after the accident.
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