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  1. etymology - Origin of the of the phrase "feeling blue" - English ...

    Oct 19, 2020 · If you are sad and describe yourself as "feeling blue," you are using a phrase coined from a custom among many old deepwater sailing ships. If the ship lost the captain or any of the officers …

  2. expressions - Why does one scream blue murder? - English Language ...

    Jan 15, 2011 · To scream blue murder is to shout loudly and make a huge fuss, sometimes with the implication that the fuss is excessive. But does anyone know why murder should be blue?

  3. etymology - What is the origin of the term ‘blue movie’? - English ...

    Apr 10, 2023 · In other words, what is the temporal and definitional origin of this meaning of the adjective ‘blue’ and the compound noun ‘blue movie’? Note: I have suggested two tags: pornography …

  4. expressions - Why does swearing 'turn the air blue'? - English …

    Oct 27, 2013 · Why do we say that the air is blue when someone has been swearing a lot?

  5. Why is a very rare steak called 'blue'? - English Language & Usage ...

    Oct 21, 2016 · The "black and blue" definition still doesn't quite define it - it's a cooking style that relies on the term "blue" to already exist ("black on the outside, blue on the inside"). This, plus the fact that …

  6. Why does "blue blazes" specify the color blue, and what is the origin ...

    Apr 5, 2020 · The Wikipedia article on sulfur confirms the flame color: Sulfur burns with a blue flame with formation of sulfur dioxide, which has a suffocating and irritating odor. But is that the original …

  7. Where did the phrase blue sky thinking come from?

    Jun 3, 2018 · The true origin is what you’d expect in a business setting: In the early 20th century, “blue sky” was frequently applied to describe fraud — notably, financiers who would inflate and over …

  8. Origin of "blue" for rude? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

    The phrase “working blue” came into usage at the time. If a representative of the Keith Orpheum circuit objected to the content of an act, a request to cut the material was sent backstage in a blue …

  9. What is the origin of the term 'blue ruin' for low-end gin?

    Jul 21, 2017 · BLUE RUIN. Gin. Blue ribband: gin. This 1811 updating of Francis Grose's A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785, 1788, 1796) is the first in the series to include an entry for …

  10. Why are Australian redheads often called 'bluey'?

    Jan 21, 2013 · The Virgin Blue name was the result of an open competition; it was a play on the predominantly red livery and the Australian slang tradition of calling a red-headed male 'Blue' or …