November 26, 2009
English Idioms; Colour idioms
English and idioms; a source of great frustration for many an English learner……
I recently came across a site worldenglishclub which has great resources for learning English and they have several pages dedicated to the use of colour idioms.
The site gives some great tips on how the English language uses colour when describing and I hadn’t thought of how many colours we use either; pink, black, blue, white, red, silver, green and brown. I’m sure there are some I have missed too!
Here is an example from the site (which several can easily be listened to directly from the site);
Kathy and Mary were best friends. One day, out of the blue, Kathy told Mary she was moving to a different city. Kathy’s dad told her this was a golden opportunity for him and he was getting a promotion. Kathy said she begged her dad to stay until she was blue in the face. She was so upset she was seeing red. Kathy only gets that way once in a blue moon. She said we should paint the town red before she leaves.
“Out of the blue” means by surprise, not expected.
- Out of the blue Tom asked Suzie to marry him.
- Jeremy’s promotion came out of the blue.
- Out of the blue Tom said he was leaving.
“Golden opportunity” means an excellent opportunity, once in a lifetime opportunity
- This is a golden opportunity, you should not miss it.
- Carl came across a golden opportunity.
- This is a golden opportunity to buy this house since the price is so low.
“Blue in the face” means make a great effort but unable to succeed
- I talked until I was blue in the face but it didn’t do any good.
- Jeff tried to convince Paul to do his homework until he was blue in the face.
- Paula talked to her son until she was blue in the face but he still didn’t clean his room.
“Seeing red” means very angry or disturbed about something
- Kelly was seeing red when she heard her boyfriend was with another girl.
- The teacher was seeing red when the class all failed the test.
- Mindy was seeing red when she lost her car keys.
“Once in a blue moon” means something very rarely happens.
- Once in a blue moon I’ll go to the movies.
- Cindy wears that dress once in a blue moon.
- The boss will give us a raise once in a blue moon.
“Paint the town red” means to go out and party and enjoy oneself.
- Let’s paint the town red tonight since it’s your birthday.
- I graduate tomorrow so let’s paint the town red.
- Mike wants to paint the town red since he got a job today.
Kathy and Mary were best friends. One day, out of the blue, Kathy told Mary she was moving to a different city. Kathy’s dad told her this was a golden opportunity for him and he was getting a promotion. Kathy said she begged her dad to stay until she was blue in the face. She was so upset she was seeing red. Kathy only gets that way once in a blue moon. She said we should paint the town red before she leaves.
The great thing about this site is that you can also download some of their information on MP3 or play parts on the internet. The voice is with an American accent but non the less, it is a fantastic resource.
There are sections on Articles in English, Grammar, Improve your Business English, as well as a selection of downloadable ebooks and manuals.
For more resources on languages and learning English see also www.xilfee.eu
