Blue Idioms

“Feel blue”

Meaning: To feel sad or depressed about something.

Usage: Can you call Sally and try and make her laugh? She’s feeling blue after Mike left.

“Blue blood”

Meaning: If a person has blue blood they come from a wealthy or royal family.

Usage: It’s no surprise he likes to go to the opera. He’s got blue blood.

“Out of the blue”

Meaning: Something happens unexpectedly (by surprise or without warning).

Usage: Mary just showed up at the house out of the blue yesterday. We thought she was still in Europe.

“Catch someone red-handed”
Meaning: To catch a person doing something they were not supposed to be doing.

Usage: We caught Jake and Julia red-handed. They were hugging and kissing even though they deny it (say it’s not true).

“To paint the town red”

Meaning: To go out and have a good time partying.

Usage: Our exams are finished. Now it’s time to go out, celebrate and paint the town red.

“A red flag”

Meaning: A sign that something that is not right. A warning sign.

Usage: Even though there were red flags in the relationship, Alice ignored them. Now she’s getting a divorce.

Usage: When the iPhone first entered the market it was red hot. Shops sold them all quickly and people had to wait to buy their new phones.

“Red hot”

Meaning: To be in high demand, something that everybody wants.

“Red tape”

Meaning: Too much formal paperwork to do something.

Usage: When people apply for a visa for another country there’s usually a lot of red tape.

“Roll out the red carpet”

Meaning: To greet and welcome a person with a lot of respect and celebration. Interesting fact: the idiom “to roll out the red carpet” comes from Hollywood. When actors and actresses turn up to a special event they’re given special treatment and walk down the red carpet.

Usage: Simon is the favorite child. Every time he returns home to Australia his parents roll out the red carpet for him.

“Get the green light”

Meaning: To get the sign that it’s now okay to do something. To be given permission.

Usage: After two years of waiting, the Smith family was given the green light to build a house on their land. (Cultural note! In many countries in the West you have to get special building permission to build on your land. It can take a very long time sometimes).

Usage: Many people still see America as the land of dreams. But what they don’t realize is that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”

Meaning: The idea that things are always better in another place. Everything is better than a person’s current situation.

“Green thumb”

Meaning: Talent for gardening and working with plants.

Usage: My grandmother has a real green thumb. Every sunny day she’s outside planting more flowers in her garden.