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Colour idioms

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  • red herring
    something that draws attention away from the main issue
  • be yellow-bellied/ to be yellow
    to be a coward
  • red tape
    official or bureaucratic tasks There is still some red tape to deal with in terms of the inheritance.
  • black sheep
    the odd or bad member of the group My brother is the black sheep in our family. He dropped out of school at fifteen.
  • 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.
  • (have a) green thumb/have green fingers
    be skillful in the garden You can tell by his flower garden that John has a green thumb.
  • out of the blue
    unexpectedly I got a phone call from a long lost cousin out of the blue last week.
  • black and blue
    bruised and beaten We found the poor dog black and blue near the train tracks.
  • see red
    be very angry I saw red when that guy grabbed my sister's purse.
  • once in a blue moon
    very rarely We only go out for dinner once in a blue moon.
  • black out
    faint Donna always blacks out at the sight of blood.
  • roll out the red carpet
    treat someone like royalty When relatives come to town my grandmother rolls out the red carpet.
  • in the red
    in debt When we were in the red we almost had to sell the house.
  • blackball
    vote against you
  • catch red handed
    catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or illegal Pablo was caught red handed stealing chocolate bars.
  • with flying colours
    with distinction I passed my test with flying colours.
  • paint the town red
    go out and have a good timeI'm ready to paint the town red with a few of my closest friends.
  • black look
    an angry look
  • in the black
    Be financially sound
  • have the blues
    be sad or depressed People have the blues during the wintertime.
  • beet red
    dark red (usually to describe face) My mother's face turned beet red when I caught her singing in front of a mirror.
  • rose coloured glasses
    unrealistic view Paula imagines Hollywood with rose coloured glasses.
  • golden opportunity
    the perfect chance The models' conference was a golden opportunity for me to sell my beauty products.
  • true colours
    real self Suzanne doesn't show her true colours when we have guests over.
  • red-letter day
    an important day
  • to be browned off
    to be bored or fed upwith something
  • scream blue murder
    to shout or to complain very loudly
  • 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.
  • black and white
    straight forward, very clear The rules we gave the children were black and white. No answering the phone or the door.
  • in the dark
    unaware Jerry left his wife in the dark about their honeymoon destination until they got to the airport.
  • born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
    born into a rich family Patty hasn't worked a day in her life. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
  • grey area, gray area
    something without a clear rule or answer Writing a 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 construction of the tower.
  • tickled pink
    very pleased and appreciative Juliet was tickled pink when her husband brought roses for her.
  • green with envy
    to be very unhappy because someone has something that you wantI am green with envy over Julio's new wardrobe.
  • blue-eyed boy
    Someone's blue-eyed boy is their favourite person.
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