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  1. What does "going blue" mean? - English Language & Usage Stack …

    This is in reference to a 'blue movie', a euphemistic term for a pornographic film. It has since been toned down somewhat and phrases like a bit of blue can be used to say that something is …

  2. Origin of "blue" for rude? - English Language & Usage Stack …

    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 …

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

    Oct 20, 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 …

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

    Jun 3, 2018 · As defined by the Collins Dictionary: phrase Blue-sky thinking is the activity of trying to find completely new ideas. Some consultants are good at blue-sky thinking but cannot …

  5. 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 …

  6. Why do we say that an obscene joke is "off-color"?

    Jun 6, 2013 · Here is the definition of off color in Chapman & Kipfer, Dictionary of American Slang, Third Edition (1995): off color adj phr by 1875 Somewhat salacious; risqué; =BLUE: a …

  7. Why does "blue blazes" specify the color blue, and what is the …

    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 …

  8. 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 …

  9. expressions - Why does one scream blue murder? - English …

    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?

  10. "Blue sky thinking" phrase - English Language & Usage Stack …

    Nov 23, 2011 · Blue sky thinking is business jargon for a sort of brainstorming or analysis that is uninhibited by the cruft and complexity of tedious and confusing reality. It is supposed to be …