Idioms – Colours

COLOURS IDIOMS

This month we are looking at some more idioms related to various colours.

Illustrations by Jorge Tarruella

To be born with a silver spoon in your mouth To be born into a life of privilege: “Since she was a child, she has had maids, servants, horses and a room full of toys - she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.”

To have blue blood To be from the aristocracy and the highest social class; to be related to royalty: “He dresses badly, but apparently he has blue blood.” Every cloud has a silver lining There is something good in everything - even in a bad situation: “I was really looking forwards to going on that cruise, but in the end I couldn’t go because of work obligations. However, that meant I could go to the football match on Saturday so I guess every cloud has a silver lining.”

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side Things aren’t better in another place; things aren’t always better in other places; the things other people have aren’t always better: A: “If we moved away from the city and went to live in the country, the children would be able to play outside safely.” B: “Yes, but we’d be away from our friends - the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.” To hand something to someone on a silver platter To let someone get something very easily, without having to do any work for it: “She sold her share of the house to her brother at a very low price - she handed it to him on a silver platter.

G L O S S A R Y

Please note that some of the words in this glossary box are literal translations of parts of idiomatic expressions.

a spoon n a metal object you use for eating. You can use a spoon to eat soup a cloud n when it rains, there are many dark clouds in the sky full of water a lining n a layer of material in the inside of a jacket (for example) to make it warmer to guess vb to think, to imagine a platter n a special, large plate blood n the red liquid inside your body grass n the green plant that covers the ground

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