It basically means outside of polite society... or beyond the boundaries of where you should stay.
There is an excellent article about the phrase at World Wide Words. See the related link below.
The word pale is most often and adjective or a verb, but can be used as a noun. Example sentences:As an adjective: I prefer the pale shade of blue to the brighter one.As a verb: The light began to pale as the sun dropped below the horizon.As a noun: His rudeness was beyond the pale.
'fair shoulders' if used in the context to describe a person, means pale-skinned shoulders
It means very white or pale.
a pale yellowish green colour
past
The meaning of the term 'beyond the pale' dates back to the 14th century. 'Beyond the pale' means unacceptable behaviour, or outlawed. Beyond the Pale is also a Canadian band.
Beyond the Pale - 2000 is rated/received certificates of: Ireland:15
The cast of Beyond the Pale - 2009 includes: Natasha Adamo as Veronica
Beyond the Pale - Jim Gaffigan album - was created on 2006-02-07.
Jim Gaffigan Beyond the Pale - 2006 TV is rated/received certificates of: USA:TV-14
Beyond the Pale A Look Back - 2004 V is rated/received certificates of: Ireland:15 (original rating)
Jim Gaffigan Beyond the Pale - 2006 TV was released on: USA: 29 January 2006 (TV premiere)
No, pale does not mean bucket. A pale can refer to a wooden stake or a boundary marker, or can mean lacking color or brightness.
A pale in this context refers to a definite boundary, in the common contect of "beyond the pale" referring to behavior or speech which is unacceptable. The term derives from the establishment of "pales" (boundaries) within which certain populations were required to maintain residence and were not allowed to leave without approval. Perhaps the most common pale was the Pale of Settlement in Tsarist Russia which definied the areas in which Jews were allowed to live.
La Femme Nikita - 1997 Beyond the Pale 3-13 is rated/received certificates of: Argentina:13
Money Power and Respect The Series - 2010 Beyond the Pale 1-8 was released on: USA: 21 July 2010
it is related to the phrase "beyond the pale" (nowadays meaning outside of normal behaviour or expectations). The phrase "beyond the pale" relates to areas that were fenced off in Russia, by Catherine the Great.. the fence being made out of stakes (pales) which marked out regions on which you could live, beyond which was "beyond the pale". You can further understand the word "pale" from words like "impaling" something... by sticking it on a stake, such as Vlad the Impaler, who had a habit of killing people by lowering them onto a sharp stake or pale. So, back to the "pale into insignificance", relates to the area beyond the pales or stakes, therefore the area is of no use or indeed is not an area you can enter/live in, therefore this land/area "pales into insignificance"