Black and white, and every idiom in between

They caught us red-handed! Here are the origins of 10 colorful idioms

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Idioms let us express ideas in creative and colorful ways. Luckily for us, English is full of popular expressions—many of which use the colors of the rainbow to describe moods, feelings, and all sorts of everyday situations. Join us as we explore the meanings and origins of 10 color idioms that brighten up our daily conversations!

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If you show up at the beach and see a big red flag, you know it signals danger. This association between the color red and warning signs has carried over into everyday language. Nowadays, when someone speaks of a "red flag," they're referring to those aspects or attitudes of a person that need to be examined with caution, as they may be indicators of trouble ahead. For example, if a friend tells you her partner never replies to her messages, you might think: "Red flag!" The idiom is believed to have originated in 17th- and 18th-century military and naval traditions, where red flags were used to signal battle or to warn of danger.

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This phrase comes from the accounting world, back when everything was done by hand and computers hadn’t completely taken over our world. Red ink was used to record losses or deficits, while black ink indicated profits. That’s why we say someone—more often, a company—is in the black when their finances are in good shape and they have a positive balance.

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We all know a good handshake usually signals a deal, but if the handshake is golden, it means the deal has been juicy, at least for one of the parties. When we say that an employee received a golden handshake, it means they were given a large sum of money or generous benefits, typically as part of early retirement or a negotiated departure. The idiom is believed to have originated in the UK in the mid-20th century, during the rise of the corporate world.

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Sometimes, we forget to recognize and appreciate what we’ve achieved, choosing instead to focus on what others seem to have. That’s exactly the idea behind the classic phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side." This kind of envy is nothing new—the idiom actually dates back to the first century BC! The Roman poet Ovid first expressed it as Fertilior seges est alieno semper in arvo, which translates to "The harvest is always more fruitful in another man's field."

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You’ve probably found yourself in a pointless argument at some point. When you realize that winning the debate isn’t worth it, you might choose to surrender for the sake of peace. At that moment, it’s said that you’re raising a white flag. Of course, this idiom comes from the actual practice of raising a white flag during war to signal a truce or surrender. The tradition is so old that it's believed even ancient Roman and Chinese armies used white flags—or white garments—to signal they were laying down their arms.

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Almost all of us have had one of those mornings with a terrible headache and no clear memory of what happened the night before. Chances are, we were out painting the town red. When someone goes out partying with friends, we say they're painting the town red—but why that color?

The origin of this idiom is believed to date back to 19th-century England. According to several sources, in 1837, the Marquess of Waterford and his friends went on a drunken spree through a town, committing wild pranks—including painting several buildings with red paint.

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Although we often use this popular idiom in casual conversation today, its roots go back nearly six centuries! That’s right—historians trace the origin of the phrase to 15th-century Scotland, where someone was said to be caught red-handed if they were discovered at the scene of a crime—literally with blood on their hands. But since metaphor is the name of the game when it comes to idioms, we no longer need actual blood—or even a real crime. These days, catching someone red-handed might just mean finding your brother-in-law sneaking a piece of cake from the fridge.

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If you're on a first date, it's better to wait before showing your true colors. But what exactly are our "true colors"? This idiom is about revealing what's beneath the surface—our true character, intentions, or feelings.

The phrase dates back to 17th-century naval warfare, when ships were expected to fly their true flags to show their identity. Some deceptive vessels, however, would fly false flags—or "colors"—to trick others.

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Well, let's say this idiom is fairly self-explanatory and uses color symbolism to describe extremes. When a situation is black or white, it means there’s little room for nuance—you’re expected to choose one side or the other, with no middle ground. It’s the classic "all or nothing" mindset.

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We all have that one loyal friend who’s always there for us—the kind of person who keeps their word and stands by you no matter what. That’s what it means to be true blue. The idiom is believed to trace back to medieval England and Scotland, where high-quality blue dye was prized. If the color didn’t fade over time, it was considered reliable—true blue.

The Norman influence

The linguistic conquest: 12 areas of English that were shaped by French

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It is a well-known fact that the English language is closely related to languages like German, Dutch, Scots, and Afrikaans. After all, they all belong to the West Germanic family of languages. But at the same time, to express this idea, we have to use the word "language"—which isn’t Germanic at all.

Like thousands of other English words, language is of French origin. The French-Norman conquest of 1066 not only irrevocably changed the course of English history but also completely transformed the English language. It is estimated that nearly 40% of the English lexicon derives from French—and that number doesn’t even account for compound words or French terms introduced through other languages. Let’s take a look at twelve areas of English that were influenced by French.

The nobility

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King and queen, the highest-ranking members of the nobility, are words of Germanic origin—but that’s about as far as it goes. For two centuries after the conquest, French was the official language of the English court, and its influence is evident in words like prince, dame, baron, duke, marquess, count, monarch, royal, sovereign, and even in the motto of the British monarchy: Dieu et mon droit ("God and my right").

The meat

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A significant portion of cuisine-related terms in English are of French origin, but the way we speak about meat was particularly shaped by the differences between the Anglo-Saxon peasants and the French ruling class. Many meats came to have two different names: an Old English term for the live animal (pig, cow, calf, or sheep), and a French-derived term for the meat served at the table (pork, beef, veal, or mutton). The word chicken remained unchanged (though poultry was adopted), and the continued use of fish may be due to the unfortunate similarity between its French equivalent, poisson, and the English word poison.

The law

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Norman French, being the language of the court, meant that official documents and legal proceedings were heavily influenced by it. The English legal system developed a blend of Old English, French, and Anglo-Norman terminology, known as Law French, which was used for centuries. While Law French is now obsolete as a spoken language, its legacy lives on in terms such as attorney, judge, jury, court, defendant, culprit, bailiff, and parole, among many others.

The religion

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While both the French conquerors and the conquered Anglo-Saxons professed the same religion, the influence of the Norman French ruling class is evident in the vocabulary used to describe religious organization. Examples include words such as saint, abbot, priest, clergy, cloister, vicar, parish, friar, and diocese.

The heraldry

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Since the Norman conquerors became the ruling class, it’s not surprising that heraldry, closely associated with rank and nobility, adopted their Norman French terms. And while the everyday English speaker may not regularly discuss coats of arms, we can see the French influence of heraldry in the names of mythical beasts such as dragon, griffin, and phoenix; exotic animals like lion, leopard, dolphin, elephant, and giraffe; and even native European animals such as eagle, ferret, falcon, squirrel, and viper.

The army

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The superiority of the Norman army was evident not only in the conquest of the island and the suppression of multiple rebellions, but also in the military vocabulary it left behind. Words such as soldier, army, battalion, artillery, corps, infantry, siege, and latrine, along with military ranks like captain, admiral, lieutenant, sergeant, and colonel, are clear examples of French influence in the warfare lexicon.

The diplomacy

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The French have long been considered masters of diplomacy, and their influence is evident in the English diplomatic vocabulary. Words such as embassy, attaché, envoy, diplomacy, passport, treaty, alliance, and protocol are just a few examples.

Politics and the economy

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The English political and economic lexicon was deeply influenced during the period when Norman French was regularly spoken at court, incorporating words such as state, treasury, plebiscite, coup d’état, regime, sovereignty, bureaucracy, and finance. However, this influence was not limited to court matters—common people also adopted French words like money, commerce, and tax.

The arts

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The ruling classes have always had a great influence on matters related to culture and its various expressions. French influence is evident in artistic vocabulary such as author, literature, music, dance, paint, canvas, theatre, stage, melody, harmony, portrait, and sculpture.

The colors

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For basic colors like black, white, yellow, and red, the English language retained the Germanic forms of the words. Surprisingly, this was not the case with blue, which is of French origin. French influence is even more evident in specific color shades such as vermilion, beige, maroon, mauve, turquoise, scarlet, lilac, and russet.

The orthography

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While the main French influence on the English language can be seen in vocabulary, other areas of the language were affected as well. If you’ve ever thought that English orthography is all over the place, you might be thinking about Old English words of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, or Germanic origin whose spellings were influenced by Norman French. Examples include queen (originally cween), ship (schip), bridge (brigge), and love (luve). Letters derived from Germanic or Irish runes were also affected by the French alphabet and eventually fell out of use.

The pronouns

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There is a reason why people joking about the Middle Ages use words like thee and **thou**—these were standard pronouns at the time. The influence of French, particularly its pronoun "vous," led to the replacement of these pronouns with words like ye, which later evolved into you. Old English pronouns still survive in words like this, that, and those, as well as in religious prayers and texts.