Modul 4: Idiom 24: Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘out of the blue.’You can use the idiom ‘out of the blue’ to describe something suddenly happening; something that was unexpected.  

So what is the origin of this idiom?

This idiom is a shortened version of the old phrase ‘a bolt out of the blue.’ The ‘blue’ that the idiom refers to is the sky and the ‘bolt’ is a reference to a thunderbolt. Is the sky normally blue when we get thunder? No, it isn’t. What kind of weather do we expect when the sky is blue? Sun, right? This is why we use this idiom to describe unexpected happenings. A bolt of lightning coming out of a sunny blue sky would be a big surprise! 

Take a look at our illustration.

Here we can see a bolt of lightning that has struck down next to a man. He looks a little more surprised than scared, doesn’t he? The sun is shining in the sky so the man is shocked that there is lightning at all. The lightning has come completely out of the blue. 

 Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

Katie told me, out of the blue, that she wants to be a vegetarian.

“I was nearly knocked off my bike this morning. The car came completely out of the blue.”

“Grandad got diagnosed with cancer yesterday. It came out of the blue, we are all so shocked.”

“I know this is a bit out of the blue but I really fancy going on holiday this weekend.”

“I randomly got promoted at work, it was completely out of the blue!”

Great.

 Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding: 

1. Samantha has been auditioning for acting roles for months without success.  Then out of the blue, a film producer asked her if she would play the lead part  – the most important role  –  in his latest movie.  Was this job offer out of the blue?  Yes.  Samantha wasn’t expecting it at all.
2. Allan and Tracy were only on their third date when he asked her to marry him.  Tracy didn’t know what to say.  Was Allan’s proposal out of the blue?  Yes.  It would be surprising to be asked to marry someone you barely knew.
3. Danny entered the theatre when the usher asked to see his ticket for the show.  Is such a request out of the blue? No.  It is normal to be asked to show your ticket in a theatre.
4. It was the end of half time at the rugby match when suddenly the referee blew his whistle for the second half to start.  Was this out of the blue?  No. Everybody was expecting the referee to restart the game.
5. There had been non-stop rain for weeks, but the sun shone all day for Peter and Florence’s wedding.  Was the sunshine out of the blue? Yes.  Peter and Florence were delighted  –  so happy –  that the weather changed unexpectedly for their special day. 

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.