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Download the Color Idioms List & PDF Worksheets
View the updated web-version of the color idioms list in the table below.
The idiom worksheets and games are also free to download.
- Download and print the PDFs.
- Use the materials for interactive learning activities in class.
- Students can also complete the worksheets to review or for self-study.
Color Idiom Worksheets for ESL Students
Worksheet A: Defining Idioms & Writing Sentences with Idioms
Worksheet B: Reading Idioms in Context & Describing Meanings
Fun Color Idiom Games for the Classroom
Color Idioms Checklist (for BINGO)
39 Idioms and Phrases About Colors
*Updated: March 2020
| Idiom / Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| as white as a sheet | very fearful or anxious | Walter went as white as a sheet when he saw Hank get shot. |
| beet red | embarrassed or angry | Darren went beet red when he saw the scratch on his car. |
| black and blue | hurt physically or mentally | Both during and after the relationship, I felt so black and blue. |
| black and white | absolute terms | The contract that you signed is in black and white. You must agree to the terms. |
| black hole | some place or situation in which things are lost | Never take hard drugs. It's a black hole you can't escape from. |
| black market | illegal marketplace | A lot of fake cigarettes are sold in the black market. |
| black out | lose consciousness | She knocked her head on the floor and blacked out! |
| black sheep | unaccepted group member | Tom was the black sheep of the family and preferred to do things on his own. |
| black tie event | formal event | Most big award's ceremonies are black tie events. |
| blue-collar | manual labor | He got a blue-collar job working as a mechanic. |
| born with a silver spoon | from a rich family | Sara was born with a silver spoon, but she became a drug addict. |
| every cloud has a silver lining | be optimistic | She got fired but found a better job she. Every cloud has a silver lining. |
| feel blue | feel sad | Barbara felt blue after breaking up with her boyfriend. |
| give the green light | give permission | She gave her son the green light to join the police academy. |
| golden opportunity | a good chance for achievement | He had a golden opportunity to win the game on the penalty shot. |
| grass is always greener on the other side | others always have it better | Whenever she complains about her hometown, I remind her that the grass is always greener on the other side. |
| green thumb | talent for gardening | Your flowers live so long because of your green thumb. |
| grey area | vague or unclear | The store's return policy is such a grey area. I don't understand their rules. |
| in the black | profitable | Facebook has been in the black ever since the company went public. |
| on a silver platter | whole-heatedly or easily | He was offered the new job on a silver platter, but he didn't take it. |
| once in a blue moon | rarely | The truck driver visits his kids once in a blue moon. |
| out of the blue | suddenly | Her ex-boyfriend called her out of the blue during her honeymoon. |
| paint the town red | have fun | It's finally the weekend! Let's paint the town red! |
| pitch black | very dark | You should always sleep in a room that is pitch black. |
| pot calling the kettle black | to hypocritically criticize | Donald says the news is fake but that's like the pot calling the kettle black. |
| raise a white flag | surrender | I decided to raise a white flag and stop arguing with my wife. |
| red herring | something that draws attention away from an important topic | The President's gambling addiction was just a red herring for the pipeline problems. |
| red tape | rules which hinder progress | There is a lot of red tape involved with starting a business. |
| red-letter day | an important day | My graduation was a red-letter day for my parents. |
| roll out the red carpet | greet someone with great respect | They rolled out the red carpet during the President's inauguration. |
| see red | to be enraged | Bobby saw red when his brother broke his phone. |
| silver screen | the movie industry | Angelina always wanted to star on the silver screen. |
| talk a blue streak | talk a lot | Women who are close friends can talk a blue streak on the phone. |
| true colors | actual character or personality | I saw her true colors when she donated to the local charity. |
| white collar | office labor | Most white-collar workers don't get much sunshine. |
| white elephant | useless possession | My old DVD player is a white elephant. I only watch Netflix now. |
| white lie | a harmless lie | She told her boss a white lie when she said she had a doctor's appointment. |
| white-collar | office labor | Most white-collar workers don't get much sunshine. |
| yellow-bellied | cowardly | Don't be so yellow-bellied. It's only a small spider! |
Extra Examples of Color Idioms in Use
Do you want to read more examples and sentences with color idioms?
Try entering the expressions in a corpus database or language app.
We highly recommend the following corpus resources and tools: