English Vocabulary: Interesting Idioms with Colours

Good day!

Some of the most common idioms come from colours, so here is a list with examples that you can learn:

Black and white – involving a simple choice between things that are clearly opposite and especially between good and bad or right and wrong.
Example: “You should not have lied: it’s black and white. What you did was wrong”

Black out – to suddenly become unconscious.
Example: “Maria blacked out this afternoon; they think she’s anemic”

Black sheep – someone who does not fit in with the rest of a group and is often considered to be a troublemaker or an embarrassment.
Example: “Toby was the black sheep of the family: everyone loved travelling except for him”

Black mood – to be in a bad mood, to have negative or depressive thoughts.
Example: “I have had a horrible day, I’m in such a black mood”

Black market – a system through which things are bought and sold illegally.
Example: “In the city it’s very easy to buy drugs on the black market”

Catch red-handed – catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or illegal.
Example: “When we got home we caught a thief red handed! He was trying to rob our TV”

Golden handshake – a large amount of money that a company gives to an employee who is leaving the company.
Example: “When my father retired from his job he got a golden handshake. He used the money to buy a new car!”

Grass is always greener on the other side – used to say that the things you do not have always seem more appealing than the things you do have.
Example: ”

Green light – to give permission for someone to do something or for something to happen.
Example: “Finally! My boss has given me the green light to work on that project”

Green around the gills – looking sick.
Example: “After being on the boat all day, he was a little green around the gills”

Green with envy – appearing jealous; appearing envious.
Example: “I’m green with envy; I love your new dress!”

Have a green thumb – an extraordinary ability to make plants grow well.
Example: “My mum’s garden looks like paradise, she definitely has a green thumb”

Have the blues – to feel sad.
Example: “A lot of people have the blues on Monday”

In the red – losing money.
Example: “Now that I lost my job, my bank account it in the red”

Once in a blue moon – very seldom.
Example: “Tina loves cooking, she only goes to restaurants once in a blue moon”

Out of the blue – if something happens out of the blue, it happens suddenly and you are not expecting it.
Example: “I was swimming in the sea and suddenly a bank of fish appeared out of the blue”

Red tape – attention to the wording and details of rules and regulations, especially by government workers.
Example: “My boss is all about the red tape; creativity is crushed”

Roll out the red carpet – to give someone treatment befitting royalty.
Example: “My husband’s mother is coming, so we’re rolling out the red carpet”

Rose tinted glasses – unrealistic, utopic view on reality or a situation.
Example: “You’re being too optimistic, take off those rose tinted glasses”

Scream blue murder –  to make an outcry.
Example: “When Helen found out how much the dress cost, she screamed blue murder”

See red – to be angry.
Example: “Lilly had a huge fight with her mum, she just saw red”

Tickled pink – very much pleased or entertained.
Example: “When I got home and saw my husband had decorated the whole house, I was tickled pink”

True colours – real self.
Example: “John showed his true colours the other day by lying to everyone”

White lie – an often trivial, diplomatic or well-intentioned untruth.
Example: “We told Grandma that her cake was delicious, which was actually a white lie, it was horrible”

With flying colours – with complete or outstanding success.
Example: “Lidia passed her exam with flying colours: 10 out of 10”