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Learn more English in a Minute
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Introduction
You know what the word 'blue' means: it's the colour of the sky and the sea. But did you know that it can be used for more than simply describing colours? There are some English phrases with the word 'blue' – learn some of them here with Phil.
Phrases with 'blue'
get the blues
feel sad or be in a low mood for a while
- After the holiday was over, Amy got the blues – she didn't want to go back to school.
scream until you're blue in the face
shout or complain angrily or loudly, but without getting the solution you want
- After his driving test, Andy screamed until he was blue in the face, but it didn't change a thing – he had failed.
once in a blue moon
very rarely
- I love to drink tea – I only have coffee once in a blue moon.
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Download a free transcript!
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TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
Phil
What's the saddest colour? Some people say it's blue, but are there any phrases we can use with 'blue'?
Let's stay with sadness. If you've gotthe blues, then it just means you're feeling sad. Don't worry – everyone gets the blues sometimes.
Just leave me alone – I've got a bad case of the blues.
We've done sadness. Now, let's think about anger. If someone is screaming until they're blue in the face, they're angry but they're wasting their time. We use this phrase with people who are unhappy and complaining a lot. It means their complaints won't help.
You can scream until you're blue in the face, but I'm not going to change your grade.
Sadness and anger are negative. Hopefully they only affect you once in a blue moon. A blue moon is quite rare, so we use it to talk about things that almost never happen.
If I oversleep, I'll be late. Luckily that only happens once in a blue moon.
So, we've seen three phrases with 'blue'. Now, try to use them this week!
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