off-color

off-color

Rude or vulgar; likely to offend others, especially due to being sexually explicit or suggestive. Primarily heard in US. A: "What did you think of the awards ceremony last night?" B: "I found the presenter's jokes a bit too off-color for my taste." I'm afraid I may have gotten on your friend's bad side with my off-color remarks.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

off color

mod. dirty or smutty; raunchy. (Usually hyphenated before a nominal.) That joke was sort of off color.
See also: color, off
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • off color
  • off colour
  • off-colour
  • be off-color
  • be near the knuckle
  • near the knuckle
  • have you heard
  • Have you heard?
  • pecker slap
  • suggestive of
References in periodicals archive
"But if there was a series of off-color jokes, termination may not be in everyone's best interest."
I would agree that in many instances in everyday life it is legitimate, necessary, and right to eschew the slang, the colorful and off-color remarks, the "common talk." It's important that we, as a society, protect neutral discursive spaces in our schools, churches, governmental institutions, courts, and so forth.
As a legal matter, harassment is considered a form of discrimination, which means that in Cleveland from now on those off-color cartoons and ethnic jokes are going to be possible grist for the prosecutor, and plaintiffs lawyers will be using threats of referral to the district attorney as a club in settlement demands.
And despite its title, the two-venue show "Futureland" promises to look as far back as forward, revealing strands of gloomy retrospection and off-color nostalgia in contemporary art's Utopian fantasies: Artists include Christian Jankowski, Grazia Toderi, and Aernout Mik (Stadtisches Museum Abteiberg in Monchen gladbach, Germany, and Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo, the Netherlands, Sept.
Encryption might also supplement or supplant the rather clumsy "blocking" software that can screen some off-color language and pictures from computer sites.
What's to be learned about the rush, spirituality, or history of sex from jewel-toned pictures that bounce between off-color sentimentality and Teutonic perfection?
While the anarchic WOW has been home to a brand of pop-soaked, off-color lesbian performance for over a decade, its hallmark style is light and frothy.
It can help manage recycle inventory, reshade off-color batches, and reduce concentrate and pigment costs.
Color information is received in real time, allowing users to spot off-color trends and correct the process.