out of the blue

Why do we say out of the blue? Why not out of the purple or out of the green? My mom just pointed that out 20 seconds ago.

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Permalink Reply by Lysh Fish on July 11, 2012 at 10:45pm

People also say "out of the clear blue sky" kind of like something coming out of nowhere. I dont know who made up the phrase though. I love learning the etymology of things. Good question! :)

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K-ModPermalink Reply by Victoria (Centauromadoose) on July 15, 2012 at 3:10pm

Yup, Lysh got it -- "out of the blue" is a shortened form of "out of the clear blue sky." It is also related to, and most likely stems from, the phrase "a bolt out of the blue," referring to a stormy lightning bolt that strikes from a clear sky.

Given that "out of the blue" idiomatically refers to something unexpected, or something that occurs without warning, the relation of the phrase to a lightning bolt that strikes without the warning of an overcast sky is pretty direct.

Mercyhurst University:

The Oxford English Dictionary defines blue as, “The sky. Phrases: out of the blue, ‘out of a clear sky’ (cf. SKY n.¹), without warning, unexpectedly; a bolt from (or out of) the blue, something unexpected, a complete surprise.”

Wikipedia/Viki:

"Out of the blue" is an informal English idiom that describes an event that occurs unexpectedly, without any warning or preparation.^[1] It is used as an adverb. The "blue" in the phrase refers to the sky, one from which a sudden thunderstorm is unexpected.