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OUT OF THE BLUE definition: 1. If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected: 2. If something happens out…. Learn more.
Jul 21, 2023 · "Out of the blue" denotes a sudden, unexpected event, occurrence, or statement that takes one by surprise. It could refer to anything from an unexpected phone call to an unforeseen event or decision. You can use "out of the blue" in both positive and negative situations.
phrase. If something happens out of the blue, it happens unexpectedly. One of them wrote to us out of the blue several years later. See full dictionary entry for blue. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. out of the blue in British English. apparently from nowhere; unexpectedly.
1. From an unexpected or unforeseen source: criticism that came out of the blue. 2. At a completely unexpected time: a long-unseen friend who appeared out of the blue. See also: blue, of, out. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Jun 17, 2024 · The idiom “out of the blue” means that something happens when you are not expecting it to or something happens suddenly. Origin of this idiomatic phrase. The idiom “out of the blue” evolved from an older idiom. The older idiom used was “a bolt from the blue” or “a bolt out of the blue.”.
When something happens out of the blue, it is a complete surprise. If you get a phone call out of the blue from an old friend, it's utterly unexpected. Use the phrase out of the blue when you need a casual way to describe something that surprises you and possibly seems to come from nowhere.
The expression out of the blue is an abbreviation of the older, longer idiom a bolt out of the blue, referring to the unlikelihood of lightning striking from a clear sky. Today, the phrase is used to express sudden surprise or to explain that something has occurred without warning.
