blue

1 /blu:/ adjective

1 COLOUR the colour of the clear sky or of the sea on a fine day: the blue waters of the lake | a dark blue raincoat

2 SAD (not before noun) informal sad and without hope; depressed (1a): That song always makes me feel blue.

3 CONCERNED WITH SEX informal concerned with sex in a way that might offend some people: Some of his jokes were a bit blue.

-see also: blue film

4 once in a blue moon informal hardly ever: I only ever see him once in a blue moon.

5 scream/yell blue murder informal to shout very loudly in protest against something or because you are in pain

6 do sth till you're blue in the face informal to do something a lot but without achieving what you want: You can argue till you're blue in the face, she won't change her mind.

7 blue with cold extremely cold

8 talk a blue streak AmE informal to talk a lot without stopping

9 go blue if your skin goes blue, you become blue because you are cold or cannot breathe properly

10 like blue blazes AmE informal extremely: It hurts like blue blazes!

2 noun

1 (C, U) the colour that is blue: the rich greens and blues of the tapestry | She nearly always dresses in blue.

2 blues (plural) a slow sad style of music that came from the southern US: a blues singer

-see also: rhythm and blues

3 the blues (plural) informal feelings of sadness: Don't be surprised if you get the blues for a while after your baby is born.

4 out of the blue informal unexpectedly: a phone call from Jane right out of the blue

-see also: a bolt from/out of the blue bolt 1 (3)

5 boys in blue informal the police

6 (C) BrE Blue someone who has represented Oxford or Cambridge University at a sport, or the title given to such a person: a rugger Blue

7 the blue literary the sea or the sky

3 verb (T) BrE informal to spend money in a way that is careless or not very responsible: John blued all his money on drink.