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Color Idioms

black and white

- thinking of everything or judging everything as either good or bad
He tries to see everything in black and white although he knows this is impossible.

black out

- darken by putting out or dimming electric lights
During the war people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so that the enemy aircraft could not see them.

black out

- prevent or silence information or communication
The government decided to black out all of the information related to the political prisoner.

black out

- lose consciousness
Suddenly the man blacked out during the parade and had to be helped to a quiet place.

black sheep (of the family)

- a person who is a disgrace to a family or group
The man is the black sheep in his family and is the only member who has not made a success of his life.

blue in the face

- very angry or upset, excited and very emotional
He argued with her until he was blue in the face.

brown bag it

- take a lunch to work
I have had to brown bag it every day this week as the company cafeteria is closed for repair work.

catch (someone) red-handed

- catch someone in the middle of doing something wrong
The woman was caught red-handed at the store trying to steal some cosmetics.

give someone the green light

- give permission to go ahead with a project
We were finally given the green light to begin setting up the new project.

grass is always greener on the other side

- a place that is far away or different seems better than where we are now
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

- inexperienced, immature
He is rather green and doesn`t have enough experience to drive the large piece of machinery yet.

green belt

- an area of fields and trees around a town
The city has a policy of increasing the green belt around the city.

green thumb

- a talent for gardening, ability to make things grow
She has a green thumb and is able to grow one of the best gardens in our neighborhood.

green with envy

- very jealous, full of envy
I was green with envy when I heard that she would be going to London for a week while I had to stay and work.

horse of a different color

- something totally separate and different
I know that he would like to discuss that issue now but it is a horse of a different color and we should discuss it at another time.

in the black

- successful or profitable
The company has been in the black since they began to adopt many new ideas to cut costs.

in the red

- lose money, unprofitable
The company has been in the red for three years now - ever since their exports to Asia decreased by 35 per cent.

look at/see the world through rose-colored glasses

- see only the good things about something, be too optimistic
He always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and is never able to understand that some people are dishonest.

off-color

- in bad taste, rude, dirty
He told an off-color joke at the party that made his wife very angry.

once in a blue moon

- rarely
We go out for Italian food once in a blue moon although we enjoy it very much.

out of the blue

- without any warning, by surprise
I don`t understand what the problem is. Right out of the blue he decided to quit his job and go and live in Europe.

paint the town red

- go out and party and have a good time
When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out and paint the town red.

pink slip

- termination notice from a job
I received my pink slip last week and am now looking for a new job.

pot calling the kettle black

- the person who is criticizing/accusing someone else is as guilty as the person he criticizes/accuses
She was criticizing me for not looking for a new job but that is like the pot calling the kettle black. She isn`t looking for a new job either.

red herring

- an unimportant matter that draws attention away from the main subject
Suddenly talking about the strike was a red herring and didn't do anything to deal with today's problems.

red-letter day

- a day that is memorable because of some important event
It was a red-letter day when she finally received her graduation diploma.

red tape

- excessive formalities in official business
Many businesses have been complaining about the amount of red tape that they must deal with in order to get anything done with the government.

roll out the red carpet

- greet a person with great respect, give a big welcome
When the President of Egypt visited Paris, they rolled out the red carpet and gave him a great welcome.

see red

- become very angry
He really saw red last night when I told him that I wouldn`t be coming to work today.

show one`s true colors

- show what one is really like
I know that she doesn`t like me but she was showing her true colors when she began yelling at me on the telephone.

tickled pink

- be very pleased, thrill, delight
She was tickled pink that you made the effort to go and visit her when you were in town.

white elephant

- a useless possession/undertaking
The new airport is a white elephant and nobody likes it at all.

white as a ghost

- very pale because of fear, shock, illness
My sister became white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.

white lie

- a harmless lie (told to be polite or to do something not seriously wrong)
I told my boss a white lie and said that I was sick yesterday when actually I was not.

white sale

- the selling at a reduced price of towels or sheets etc.
We went to the white sale at the department store to buy some new sheets before my parents come to visit.

with flying colors

- with great or total success
She passed the course with flying colors and now wants to go out and celebrate.

yellow-bellied

- extremely timid, cowardly
He is a yellow-bellied coward and never is willing to fight for what is right.

yellow streak

- cowardice in one`s character
He has a yellow streak running down his back and is not a good person to support you if things become difficult.

beet red : dark red(usually to describe face)

"My sister's face turned beet red when I caught her singing in front of a mirror."

black and blue : bruised and beaten

"We found the poor guy black and blue near the train tracks."

black and white : straight forward, very clear

"The rules we gave the kids were black and white. No answering the phone or the door."

black out : faint

"I always black out at the sight of blood."

black sheep : the odd or bad member of the group

"My oldest brother was the black sheep in our family. He dropped out of school at fifteen."

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth : born into a rich family

"Keiko hasn't worked a day in her life. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth."

catch red handed : catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or illegal

"The kids were caught red handed stealing chocolate bars."

golden opportunity : the perfect chance

"The models' conference was a golden opportunity for me to sell my beauty products."

grass is always greener on the other side : you always want what you don't have

"I always wanted to go to university, but now I wish I had time to get a job. Grass is always greener on the other side."

grey area, gray area : something without a clear rule or answer

"Writing personal email in the office is a grey area that needs to be discussed at the next meeting."

the green light : permission

"The builders were given the green light to begin the tower."

green with envy : very jealous

"I am green with envy over Julio's new wardrobe."

(have a) green thumb : be skillful in the garden

"You can tell by her flower garden that Sheila has a green thumb."

have the blues : be sad or depressed

"I always have the the blues during the winter time."

in the dark : unaware

"Antoine left his wife in the dark about their honeymoon destination until they got to the airport."

in the red : in debt

"When we were in the red we almost had to sell the house."

once in a blue moon : very rarely

"We only go out for dinner once in a blue moon."

out of the blue : unexpectedly

"I got a phone call from a long lost cousin out of the blue last week."

red tape : official or bureaucratic tasks

"There is still some red tape to deal with in terms of the inheritance."

red eye : an airplane flight that takes off after midnight

"I caught the red eye so that I would see the sunrise over the mountains."

roll out the red carpet : treat someone like royalty

"When relatives come to town my grandmother rolls out the red carpet."

rose coloured glasses : unrealistic view

"Paula imagines Hollywood with rose coloured glasses."

see red : be very angry

"I saw red when that guy grabbed my sister's purse."

tickled pink : very pleased and appreciative

"My mom was tickled pink when my father brought roses home for her."

true colours : real self

"Suzanne doesn't show her true colours when we have guests over. "

white lie : an innocent lie to protect another person's feelings

"We told Grandma that her cake was delicious, which was actually a white lie."

with flying colours : with distinction

"I passed my road test with flying colours."

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