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Some idioms about color are:

  • in the black
  • black and white
  • white out
  • white elephant
  • blue moon
  • out of the blue
  • brown study
  • brown nose
  • green thumb
  • green light
  • golden opportunity
  • golden boy
  • ticked pink
  • red tape
  • red handed
  • silver screen
  • yellow streak
  • yellow bellied

Some color idioms with meanings and some examples:

Pink

Tickled pink: If you are tickled pink, you are extremely pleased about something.

In the pink: If you are in the pink, you are fit, healthy, and happy.

Pink slip: A termination notice from a job.

To see pink elephants is to be drunk.

Blue

Feeling blue: If you are feeling blue, you are feeling sad or depressed often when there is no particular reason.

He was alone on his birthday and feeling blue. Then his girlfriend called and invited him out, and he felt better.

Once in a blue moon: If you say that something happens once in a blue moon, you are emphasizing that it does not happen very often at all.

Out of the blue: Without any warning, by surprise.

The news of the factory's closing came out of the blue. No one was expecting it.

White/Black

White elephant: If you describe something as a white elephant, you mean that it is a waste of money because it is completely useless.

White lie: If you refer to an untrue statement as a white lie, you mean that it is made to avoid hurting someones feelings or to avoid trouble and not for an evil purpose.

I didn't feel like going out. So I told a white lie, and I said I didn't feel well.

To show the white feather: act as a coward, to show fear (from the belief that a game cock with a white feather in its tail was a poor fighter).

White feather: a sign of cowardice

In black and white: You say that something is in black and white when it has been written or printed, and not just said.

I couldn't believe it, but there it was in black and white, as clear as it could be. The letter said that I had won a trip to Europe.

It's black or white: Something that is either one way or the other with no 'gray areas' in between.

In the black: Not in debt.

Theo earns a thousand dollars a week. He doesn't have to worry about having enough money. He's always in the black.

Black market: An illegal trade in commodies that are scarce or illegal, or traded to avoid duties and taxes; an underground economy.

Black sheep: If you describe someone as the black sheep of the family or a group, you mean that they are considered bad or worthless by other people in that family or group.

The pot calling the kettle black: the person who is criticizing someone else is as guilty or as bad as the person being accused.

Red

In the red: If a person or company, or if their bank account is in the red, they have spent more money than they have in their account and therefore they owe money to the bank.

I never have enough money to pay my bills. I'm always in the red.

Red herring: If you say that something is a red herring, you mean that it looks like it's part of the situation under consideration but it's really irrelevant and takes your attention away from the main subject or problem you are considering.

Red carpet: To roll out the red carpet or to give the red carpet treatment means to give someone special treatment or to make them feel honored.

When the movie star visited, our town rolled out the red carpet. There was a parade and a special dinner in her honor.

Red tape: You refer to official rules and procedures as red tape when they seem unnecessary and cause delay.

Every time you want to get a new passport, you have to go through a lot of red tape. It's not easy and it takes a lot of time.

Caught red-handed: If someone is caught red-handed, they are caught while they are in the act of doing something wrong.

See red: Become very angry.

Green

The green light: The 'authority' to go forward.

The bank has given us the money. Now we have the green light to start the project.

Give the green light: If someone in authority gives a green light to something, they give permission for it to happen or be done.

Green with envy: Very jealous, full of envy

I was green with envy when I learned that Luis had won a trip to Europe.

Green belt: an area of woodlands and fields around a city.

Green thumb: If you say that someone has green thumb ( fingers), you mean that they are very good at gardening and their plants grow well.

With flying colors: With great or total success.

The letter came out of the blue! I wasn't expecting it. But there it was in black and white, signed by the bank manager. I had no money in my checking account. I was in the red. I couldn't believe it. So I went to see the manager. We looked at the problem together. The bank had made a mistake. It had put ten dollars into my account instead of one thousand dollars! Because it was the bank's mistake, there was no delay reopening my account. The manager cut through all the red tape. Now I had money in my account. And I had the green light to write checks again.

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14y ago

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