blue in the face

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bloo in stressed th ee feys]
- /blu ɪn stressed ði feɪs/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bloo in stressed th ee feys]
- /blu ɪn stressed ði feɪs/

Definitions of blue in the face words

noun blue in the face the pure color of a clear sky; the primary color between green and violet in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 450 and 500 nm. 1
noun blue in the face bluing. 1
noun blue in the face something having a blue color: Place the blue next to the red. 1
noun blue in the face a person who wears blue or is a member of a group characterized by some blue symbol: Tomorrow the blues will play the browns. 1
noun blue in the face (often initial capital letter) a member of the Union army in the American Civil War or the army itself. Compare gray1 (def 13). 1
noun blue in the face bluestocking. 1

See all 25 definitions of blue in the face

Information block about the term

Origin of blue in the face

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English blewe < Anglo-French blew, bl(i)u, bl(i)ef blue, livid, discolored, Old French blo, blau (French bleu) < Germanic *blǣwaz; compare Old English blǣwen, contraction of blǣhǣwen deep blue, perse (see blae, hue1), Old Frisian blāw, Middle Dutch blā(u), Old High German blāo (German blau), Old Norse blār

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Blue in the face

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Blue in the face

blue in the face popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

blue in the face usage trend in Literature

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