blues
Related to blues: Baby Blues
baby blues
1. A usually brief period of sadness, anxiety, and mood swings experienced by a large percentage of women after giving birth. When I had the baby blues after having my first child, I would find myself crying without knowing why.
2. Blue eyes, especially those that are light blue. I just had to ask for Sean's number after I got a glimpse of his baby blues—I'd never seen such striking eyes before!
See also: baby, blues
blue
1. adjective Sad or depressed. I'm sorry, I'm just feeling a bit blue after getting back my exam results. Most people love the holidays, but they always make me blue.
2. adjective Obscene, vulgar, or risqué; dirty. My grandmother is the sweetest old lady you'll ever meet, but she sure loves telling blue jokes! I remember the video store down the street had a section of blue movies for adults that they would keep behind a black curtain.
3. adjective Of meat, especially steak, completely uncooked in the center; extra rare. A: "And how would you like your filet mignon, sir?" B: "Blue, please."
4. adjective Of or referring to a political party whose representative color is blue. Analysts are predicting a blue wave in the congressional elections this year. It looks as though the seats of Westminster will be mostly blue after the Tories' dominance in the recent general election.
5. noun, slang A police officer. Primarily heard in US. I never thought Jack would be a blue when he grew up, after all the trouble he used to get into as a kid.
6. noun, slang A 10 mg tablet of diazepam (more commonly known as Valium), which is blue in color. Usually used plurally. Primarily heard in US. I had to take a blue to calm me down before the big presentation. Apparently, he died of an overdose of blues.
blues and twos
An emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance or police car, that has blue flashing lights and a siren that sounds two notes. Primarily heard in UK. Pull the car over and let the blues and twos pass.
See also: and, blues, two
cry the blues
1. Literally, to sing blues music or in that style. There was this old man crying the blues at the bar last night; it was a really moving bit of music.
2. By extension, to complain, whine, or express grief, especially as a means of gaining sympathy from others. Many people will cry the blues over trivial inconveniences, while millions of others silently suffer real hardships every day.
See also: blues, cry
have the blues
To be or feel generally sad or melancholy. I don't know what it is, but I find I always have the blues on Sundays.
See also: blues, have
sing the blues
1. Literally, to sing blues music or in that style. There was this old man singing the blues at the bar last night—it was a really moving bit of music.
2. By extension, to complain, whine, or express grief, especially as a means of gaining sympathy from others. Many people will sing the blues over trivial inconveniences, while millions of others silently suffer real hardships every day.
See also: blues, sing
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
*blues
1. sadness; a mood of depression. (*Typically: get ~; have ~.) You'll have to excuse Bill. He's getting the blues thinking about Jane. I get the blues every time I hear that song.
2. a traditional style of popular music characterized by lyrics expressing hardship, lost love, etc. Buddy had been singing the blues ever since the Depression.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
have the blues
Also, feel blue. Feel depressed or sad, as in After seeing the old house in such bad shape, I had the blues for weeks, or Patricia tends to feel blue around the holidays. The noun blues, meaning "low spirits," was first recorded in 1741 and may come from blue devil, a 17th-century term for a baleful demon, or from the adjective blue meaning "sad," a usage first recorded in Chaucer's Complaint of Mars (c. 1385). The idiom may have been reinforced by the notion that anxiety produces a livid skin color. Also see blue funk.
See also: blues, have
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
blues and twos
the siren and blue flashing lights of an emergency-service vehicle. British informalThe twos refers to the vehicles' two-tone siren.
2003 Bolton Evening News They will go out with local officers and really learn the craft of being a beat bobby rather than just going out in blues and twos.
See also: and, blues, two
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
blue
1. mod. depressed; melancholy. That music always makes me blue.
2. mod. obscene; vulgar; dirty. Those blue jokes don’t go over very well around here.
3. n. the sky; the heavens. The idea came to me right out of the blue.
4. mod. alcohol intoxicated. You might say I’m blue. Others might note that I am stoned.
5. n. an amphetamine tablet or capsule, especially a blue one. (Drugs.) How are blues different from reds and yellows?
6. n. a police officer; the police. The blues will be here in a minute.
7. n. a 10-mg tablet of Valium. (Drugs.) In treatment they kept giving me blues to calm me down. Now I can’t live without them.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- baby blues
- empty nest syndrome
- lump to (one's) throat
- a lump in the throat
- a lump in your throat
- lump in (one's) throat
- lump in one's throat
- lump in the throat
- lump in throat
- make oneself miserable