WHY DO WE SAY GREEN THUMB, OUT OF THE BLUE, AND PAINT THE TOWN RED?

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Color idioms we can't resist: Why do we say ‘green thumb,' 'out of the blue' and more?

Here are three colorful and popular phrases with deeper meanings

By Brittany Kasko Fox News

Published May 6, 2024 4:00am EDT

 

Test yourself and see if you know the real history behind three popular color-based phrases.

 

Dig right in!

 

3 popular phrases with deeper meanings

 

1. ‘Has a green thumb' 

 

Someone with a talent for gardening is often described as having "a green thumb."

 

Such an individual tends to be very good with plants or flowers — and can seemingly nurture and coax just about anything to grow and bloom. 

 

The terms "green thumb" and "green fingers" have been common expressions both in England and the United States for well over a century, according to Mental Floss.

 

The Oxford English Dictionary cited "[the] use of ‘green fingers’ as early as 1906 in the novel ‘The Misses Make-Believe’ by Mary Stuart Boyd,'" the same site notes.

 

The term "green thumb" can be found, Mental Floss also said a few years ago, in a 1937 Ironwood Daily Globe newspaper article — which described the phrase as "horticultural slang."

 

Also, in the 1940s, Britain had a popular gardening show called "In Your Garden" hosted by C.H. Middleton, said the same source — and it reportedly referenced both green thumb and green fingers. (Middleton reportedly became Britain’s first celebrity gardener.)

 

There are a variety of theories about the origins of the "green thumb" term.

 

Georgia gardening expert Walter Reeves notes online that the terms may have come from the fact that algae growing on the outside of earthenware pots may stain a person's thumb and fingers if enough pots are handled, according to James Underwood Crockett, a celebrity gardener.

 

One other theory that is floated, according to multiple sources: It may have originated during the reign of King Edward I of England.

 

"He was fond of green peas and kept half a dozen serfs shelling them during the season. The serf who had the ‘greenest thumb" won a prize," said Reeves.

 

2. ‘Out of the blue’

 

"Out of the blue" is a popular expression that typically refers to something completely unexpected.

 

People might say, for example, that they became ill "out of the blue."

 

Many theories suggest this saying came from another expression, "a bolt out of the blue," which also refers to something happening unexpectedly — as if out of "the clear blue" sky.

 

Some have also said this phrase was first written in the mid-1800s by Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and essayist, during the French Revolution.

 

3. 'Paint the town red’

 

The common idiom "painting the town red" often refers to having a rip-roaringly good time — typically involving drinking alcohol, dancing and laughing with others, according to Cambridge University.

 

For example, when recalling a night out with friends, people might say they "painted the town red" as a metaphor for having a grand time.

 

"Paint the town red" signifies "a departure from the usual, expressing a desire for lively, exciting experiences beyond everyday life," notes grammarist.com.

 

"It conjures images of vibrant, energetic celebrations and nights out. However, at its core, this expression is about indulging in a grand, often boisterous time."

 

A number of musical pieces have referenced the phrase — including "Paint The Town Red," a 2023 Doja Cat song.

 

As to where it came from — that's an interesting story unto itself.

 

Some theories suggest the idiom originated when the 1837 Marquis of Waterford and friends literally painted buildings red in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England.