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From: Enrico C <enrico.c@spamcop.net>
Newsgroups: alt.languages.english
Subject: [Idioms #6] Colours - Blue
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 12:07:30 +0100
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It's amazing how colours can get different meanings from language to
language.
In Italy, a pornographic movie would be called, literally, a "red
lights" film.
In English, the same porn turns blue! It's a blue film, so called
after the brothels of prerevolutionary China, which were painted blue
outside to advertise the presence of prostitutes.
And blue joke - I read - is an indecent joke.
But then, if your girlfriend dumps you, you feel blue and things look
blue. In short, you feel down and depressed.
"John is Smith's blue-eyed boy" is an altogether different kind of
blue. It's not about the colour of his eyes, but tells us of "a
boy/young man who has been singled out for special favours by someone
in authority." It's all on the Penguin English Idioms Dictionary. The
expression is not a compliment at all, "since it implies that he has
won favour by flattery and tale-bearing."
Blue is a nice colour, but it doesn't always mean nice things.
They say that a pedantic woman is a "bluestocking".
"I don't want to go out with that blue stocking. she is only
interested in books."
That phrase dates back to Eighteenth century literary parties, where
blue stockings were worn.
Here's the story from the Regency Lexicon site.
QUOTE http://www.thenonesuch.com/lexicon.html
Bluestocking: A lady interested in books, learning and scholarly
pursuits. From the so-called "Blue Stocking Society" which a group of
society ladies began in the 1750's to discuss literature and other
matters. Interestingly, the "blue stockings" were worn by a man --
Benjamin Stillingfleet, who was asked to attend the group, but since
he did not own formal evening dress including the requisite black silk
stockings, he wore his informal clothes along with blue worsted
stockings."
--
Enrico C
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