~ 1
■ adjective ( ~r , ~st )
1》 of a colour intermediate between green and violet, as of the sky or sea on a sunny day.
↘(of a cat, fox, or rabbit) having fur of a smoky grey colour.
2》 informal melancholy, sad, or depressed.
3》 informal (of a film, joke, or story) with sexual or pornographic content.
4》 Brit. informal politically conservative.
5》 (of a ski run) of the second-lowest level of difficulty.
■ noun
1》 ~ colour, pigment, or material.
↘( the ~ ) literary the sky or sea, or the unknown.
↘another term for bluing .
2》 Brit. a person who has represented Cambridge University or Oxford University in a particular sport in a match between the two universities.
3》 used in names of small butterflies with predominantly ~ wings. [ Polyommatus icarus ( common ~ ) and related species.]
4》 Austral./NZ informal a nickname for a red-headed person.
5》 Austral./NZ informal an argument or fight.
■ verb ( ~s , bluing or ~ing , ~d )
1》 make or become ~.
2》 chiefly historical wash (white clothes) with bluing.
Phrases
~ on ~ Military denoting or relating to an attack made by one's own side that accidentally harms one's own forces: ~-on-~ incidents. [from the use of ~ to indicate friendly forces in military exercises.]
once in a ~ moon informal very rarely. [because a ‘~ moon’ is a phenomenon (due to atmospheric dust) that occurs only very rarely.]
out of the ~ (or out of a clear ~ sky ) informal without warning; unexpectedly.
talk a ~ streak N. Amer. informal speak continuously and at great length.
Derivatives
~ness noun
Origin
ME: from OFr. bleu , ult. of Gmc origin.
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~ 2
■ verb ( ~s , bluing or ~ing , ~d ) Brit. informal, dated squander or spend recklessly.
Origin
C19: perh. a var. of blow 1 .