English Idioms with Colors: You’ll be tickled pink to learn these!

Idioms are common expressions in a language with meanings that you can’t always guess from the literal meanings of the individual words. A classic example of an English idiom is the expression to kick the bucket. If you take these words literally, you imagine a person using their foot to hit a bucket. But that’s not at all what the idiom means! Instead, it means to die. That mean old man from the apartment upstairs finally kicked the bucket. So, he won’t be complaining about noise any more. In this post we’ll look at several common English idioms that use colors.

English Idioms with Blue

Let’s start with a few common idioms that use the color blue. If something happens out of the blue, it happens without any warning, and it’s completely unexpected.

• We were on the lake boating on a beautiful day, when out of the blue came a huge thunderstorm.
• Everything seemed to be going fine for Ben until his boss told him out of the blue that he was being laid off.

Something that only happens once in a blue moon is a very rare occurrence.

• We used to see each other every week, but now we only talk once in a blue moon.
• It only snows here once in a blue moon; winters are usually too warm.

If someone is true blue, they are loyal and faithful.

• Dan is a true blue friend; I can always count on him.
• Nothing is as true blue as a dog. They are loyal and faithful forever.

A blue blood is a person who is upper class or very rich.

• This neighborhood is full of blue blood families. Look at these houses and cars!
• Sarah went to a private girl’s school for blue bloods.

More idioms with Blue

If you do something until you’re blue in the face, you do it for a long time, with little or no reward for your efforts.

• You can complain until you’re blue in the face; it won’t make any difference.
• Dave’s parents have talked to him about doing better in school until they’re blue in the face.

If you have the blues, or if you’re feeling a bit blue, you’re sad. This is an older expressions, but you may still hear or read it from time to time.

• What’s the matter? Do you have the blues today?
• Whenever Kim is feeling a bit blue, she has a chocolate bar.

If you curse or swear a blue streak, you use a lot of very foul language!

• Jim cursed a blue streak when he stubbed his toe.
• The neighbors are fighting again. I can hear them shoutig and cursing a blue streak.

If you’re black and blue, you are bruised.

• What happened to your arm? You’re all black and blue!
• I feel coming down the stairs. I’m going to be black and blue tomorrow.

Blue collar means working people, people who earn money with physical work. The opposite is white collar.

• Many blue collar jobs do not pay very well.
• I grew up in a blue collar town.

English Idioms with Red

Now let’s look at some idioms with red. If you catch someone red-handed doing something, you caught them right in the middle of doing something wrong.

• Linda caught her teenage son red-handed sneaking out of the house at night.
• You can’t deny doing it, because you were caught red-handed.

If you see red, you get angry. This idiom is related to the belief that the color red makes bulls angry.

• Everytime I hear someone mention his name, I see red.
• My boss will see red if I ask for another day off.

If you’re red in the face, you are very embarrassed. Or you are exhausted from too much exertion.

• I was red in the face when I realized my boss had overheard my joke.
• Bill’s completely out of shape. He gets red in the face climbing a flight of stairs!

If a business is in the red, it is in debt, or it is operating at a loss. (The opposite is in the black.)

• The restaurant was in the red for months before they finally decided to close it.
• We’re not making a huge profit, but at least we’re not in the red this quarter.

If you have to go through a lot of red tape in order to get something done, you have to deal with a lot of bureaucracy, rules, or unnecessary complications.

• There’s a lot of red tape involved in legally changing your name.
• I hate doing anything at the DMV, you have to go through so much red tape!

A red herring is an argument or anything intended to distract or mislead from an actual problem or issue.

• Politicians love to bring up red herrings to keep voters from focusing on real issues.
• Oh please, that’s a red herring, it has nothing to do with the issue at hand!

If you roll out the red carpet for someone, you prepare for an important visit with a very special welcome.

• The owners of the company are coming to visit, so we’re rolling out the red carpet for them.
• Whenever Diane’s parents come to visit, she rolls out the red carpet for them.

If you paint the town red you go out to bars or clubs and have a very good time.

• This is Ryan’s first time in New York, so he wants to go out and paint the town red tonight.
• When I was younger I loved to paint the town red, but nowadays I like to read in bed.

English Idioms with Green

Now let’s learn a few English color idioms that use green. If someone is green (at something), they’re a beginner or very new. The color green here means green like a young plant.

• Frank is green, but he’s still a good cop.
• I made a lot of mistakes when I was green at this job.

Green is also associated with jealousy or envy. The green-eyed monster is a figurative way of saying jealousy. If you’re green with envy, you are very jealous of something.

• Don’t be jealous of your friends! The green-eyed monster is such an ugly thing.
• Mary is always green with envy when something good happens to her sister.

A person with a green thumb is good at taking care of plants or at gardening.

• My husband has such a green thumb. His garden is always gorgeous.
• I don’t have any house plants because I’m not much of a green thumb.

If someone gives you the green light, you have approval to move forward with a plan. Green light can also be a verb, meaning to approve a plan.

• My boss just gave me the green light to hire an assistant, so I’ll be interviewing candidates.
• As soon as they green light the budget, we’ll get to work on the project.

English Idioms with Yellow

The color yellow is associated with cowardice, so there are many idioms with yellow that mean to be cowardly or afraid, for example: to be yellow, to have a yellow streak (down one’s back), to be yellow bellied, and so on.

• Don pretends to be tough, but he’s actually got a huge yellow streak.
• Don’t be so yellow-bellied! Stand up for yourself!

Yellow journalism is sensationalist journalism that is meant to provoke an emotional reaction rather than inform. Related terms are the yellow press, and yellow journalists.

• I never buy that newspaper! It’s nothing but yellow journalism.
• Click bait is the most modern form of yellow journalism.

The yellow brick road comes from the movie The Wizard of Oz, and it means a road or path that leads to adventure.

• I took the job thinking it was my yellow brick road, but it’s been incredibly boring and I regret it.
• You can’t just expect to follow the yellow brick road to your dreams. You have to plan and work in order to make your dreams come true!

English Idioms with Black

Now let’s see some idioms with black. Remember that in the red means to be working without profit, to be at a loss. The opposite is in the black, which means to be profitable, to not have debt.

• It takes a few years for a new business to be in the black.
• How’s business? In the black?

A blackout is a complete loss of power, for example because of a storm.

• Every time there’s a hurricane, we have blackouts that last for many days.
• We have candles and battery powered lanterns in case of a blackout.

The verb to black out means to lose consciousness.

• Greg drank so much at the party that he blacked out on the sofa.
• If I stand up too quickly sometimes it feels like I’m going to black out.

If you buy something on the black market, it’s an illegal or unauthorized purchase.

• Some kinds of pets are illegal, so people buy them on the black market.
• Drugs and weapons are often sold on the black market.

If you’re the black sheep of a group, you don’t fit in with the others in your group, or you’re considered to be a disgrace or an outcase.

• John was the black sheep of the family as a teenager.
• If you leave all of that work to your colleagues, you’re going to be the black sheep of the entire company!

We’ll look at idioms with white next, so let’s close the black section with a common idiom that uses both black and white. If a situation is black and white, it’s clearly definited, it’s got a clear answer, and there’s no room for interpretation or doubt.

• Many situations in life are not black and white, so you have to be open minded.
• The election is very black and white to most voters; few people are undecided.

English Idioms with White

Now let’s look at idioms with white. If you tell a (little) white lie, it’s a small lie that is mostly harmless, and usually told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.

• Wendy asked me if I liked her new haircut, so I had no choice but to tell a white lie.
• Married couples sometimes tell little white lies to each other to avoid arguments.

You saw earlier that blue collar means working class, people who work with their hands. White collar means an executive job, someone who wears a suit and works in an office.

• Bill has a well paying white collar job.
• White collar crime may not be violent, but it costs people a lot of money.

If you wave the white flag, you surrender.

• I give up! I wave the white flag. You win!
• The soldiers knew that they were surrounded, so they waved a white flag.

If you’re white as a sheet, you’re very pale, usually because of fear or shock. A similar expression is white as a ghost.

• Glen turned white as a sheet when I told him that I had invited his ex to the party.
• What’s the matter with you? You look white as a sheet/ghost!

A white elephant is something that you own or something that you spent a lot of money on that has turned out to be more trouble than it is worth.

• Henry spent so much money on that boat, but now it’s just a white elephant that sits in his driveway.
• The lake house has become a white elephant; it’s too run down to use, and it’s too expensive to fix up.

English Idioms with Golden

Gold is a precious and valuable metal, so as you can probably imagine there are idioms with golden that mean very valuable. If you have a golden opportunity to do something, it is a perfect and very valuable chance that you shouldn’t miss.

• My relatives have asked me to house-sit in their condo in Puerto Rico. This is a golden opportunity for me to have a free vacation!
• When Pete left the company, it was a golden opportunity for Alan to step up and be promoted to Pete’s position.

A golden handshake or a golden parachute is a large payment given to someone when they leave a job, typically at an executive level.

• Even when CEOs nearly destroys a company, they still get their golden parachute at the end!
• The board offered Madeline a golden handshake to leave her position.

A person who others see very positively, often while overlooking flaws, is called a golden child.

• My brother was the golden child; my parents never saw all of the bad things he did!
• The leader of the startup was once a golden child in the industry, but now he’s not seen very favorably.

A golden goose is something that a company or organization owns that has the potential to produce a great deal of value. The idiom comes from a fairy tale about a goose who laid golden eggs.

• This one book is the golden goose of the entire publishing house. It has made more money over the years than everything else combined!
• College sports like football or basketball are seen as a golden goose for making money.

If you’re in your golden years, you’re enjoying your retirement.

• Fran worked hard for many years, so she was happy to retire and enjoy her golden years.
• Save money for your retirement so you can enjoy your golden years.

If you follow the golden rule, you treat other people the way that you want to be treated.

• All religions have some form of the golden rule.
• To be a good person, all you have to do is follow the golden rule.

Idioms with Gold

There are also many idioms with gold that refer to the metal rather than the color. They’re very common, so let’s just look at a few. Someone who is sitting on a gold mine owns something very valuable, sometimes without even realizing it.

• The Henderson’s bought their apartment fifty years ago for next to nothing, and they’re sitting on a gold mine now!
• Don’t get rid of that painting! Find out how much it’s worth, you could be sitting on a gold mine!

A person who has a heart of gold is very kind and generous.

• My grandfather had a heart of gold. He would do anything to help other people.
• Jeremy is such a sweet guy, with a heart of gold. You’ll never meet someone nicer.

If you’re worth your weight in gold, you are very valuable!

• Jen’s been with the company for years, and she’s worth her weight in gold.
• Friends who will help you move are worth their weight in gold!

If someone is a gold digger, they are trying to get close to people with money and only pretending to care about or love those people.

• Don’t marry that guy, he’s just a gold digger! All he loves is your money.
• My cousin is such a gold digger. She only dates guys with a lot of money.

English Idioms with Gray

Now let’s look at some idioms with the color gray, or grey of course in any English speaking country outside of the US. If something is a gray area, it’s not black or white. It’s complicated, not clear, without an easily defined answer.

• The rules are normally very clear, but this is a bit of a gray area.
• Legal scholars believe that the question is a gray area that hasn’t been settled yet.

People get gray hair when they get older. If you’re just beginning to have gray hair, you can say that you’re going gray. You can say that you’re going gray or getting gray hair from things that worry you.

• I’m going gray with worry about this upcoming deadline!
• Sam and Brenda are getting gray hair from their teenage kids.

Gray matter is another word for brains, or intelligence.

• We’re not going to solve this problem with brute strength, we need some gray matter!
• He’s a little light on the gray matter, but he’s a nice enough guy.

Idioms with Other Colors

To be tickled pink means to be very happy, pleased, or delighted.

• We were tickled pink when we heard that Melissa was pregnant!
• Rob will be so happy to see you! He’ll be tickled pink.

A silver lining is a hopeful or positive aspect of an otherwise bad situation. It comes from the expression ‘every cloud has a silver lining.’

• I lost my job, but the silver lining is that I have off from work tomorrow.
• It’s far too rainy and cold to have a picnic today, but the silver lining is that we can try out that new restaurant.

If you see the world through rose-colored glasses, you have an overly optimistic perspective. A variation of this idiom is rose-tinted glasses.

• It’s nice to see the world through rose-tinted glasses, but don’t be too naïve.
• Kate really sees the world through rose-colored glasses. She trusts everyone too much.

If you score or earn brownie points for something, you receive praise or recognition for doing something nice.

• I’ll score some brownie points with the boss if I get him some coffee.
• Alex is always trying to score brownie points with the teacher.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning some common English idioms with colors. If you’re interested in ESL/EFL lessons, please check out our English courses. We have private lessons, lessons for you and a friend or colleague, or small groups. Or see our other posts on English grammar, vocabulary, and more.

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