Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [out uhv, ov stressed th ee bloo]
- /aʊt ʌv, ɒv stressed ði blu/
- /ˈaʊt əv ðə bluː/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [out uhv, ov stressed th ee bloo]
- /aʊt ʌv, ɒv stressed ði blu/
Definitions of out of the blue words
- noun out of the blue 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 out of the blue bluing. 1
- noun out of the blue something having a blue color: Place the blue next to the red. 1
- noun out of the blue 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 out of the blue (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 out of the blue bluestocking. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of out of the blue
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 Out of the blue
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
out of the blue 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".
out of the blue usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for out of the blue
adj out of the blue
- flasher — a brief, sudden burst of bright light: a flash of lightning.
adverb out of the blue
- accidentally — happening by chance or accident; not planned; unexpected: an accidental meeting.
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with o
- Words starting with ou
- Words starting with out
- Words starting with outo
- Words starting with outof
- Words starting with outoft
- Words starting with outofth
- Words starting with outofthe
- Words starting with outoftheb
- Words starting with outofthebl
- Words starting with outoftheblu
- Words starting with outoftheblue