blue adj.5
a euph. for bloody adj. (1)
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Hopkinsville Kentuckian (KY) 15 June 2/3: By the blankety, bloinkety, blasted, blue — — you can’t run a show without swearing. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | In the Blood 210: But I’ve ’eard ’em, blue lashin’s of ’em. | |
| Girl Proposition 9: He could not believe that a real Diana would trifle with a blue Cat-Fish. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Ulysses 48: Now where the blue hell am I bringing her beyond the veil? | |
| ‘$106,000 Blood Money’ Story Omnibus (1966) 348: ‘Blue hell!’ Tom-Tom Carey barked. | |
| Bound for Glory (1969) 372: There’s a blue jillion things wrong with how th’ country’s run. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Live Like Pigs Act IV: There’s one blue screw to bite no padlocks onto no poor boys no more. | |
| Breaking Out 122: My Mum would’ve had a blue fit if she’d known. | |
| (con. 1930s–50s) Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 52: He swore like blue hell. | |
![[SA]](/static/img/flags/sa.png "South Africa") | Kwa-Landlady in Perkins (1998) 168: That’s a blue lie. |
In compounds
(US) euph. for damned adj. (1)
| Down in Tennessee 94: Ye doan’t s’pose Tom’s a secesh? a dinged, rottin-souled, blue-blasted, son uv a Rebel, does ye? |
a euph. for hell, usu. in phr., e.g. hot as blue blazes, go blue blazes.
| Spirit of Irish Wit 102: ‘Blue blazes to your soul, you bloody tief’. | |
| Drunkard’s Looking Glass (1929) 117: Ye steep down gulphs of liquid fire! Ye blue blazes of damnation! | |
| Real Life in Ireland 166: Blood and blue blazes, swore old Mrs. Tarpaulin. | |
| Oxford Univ. & City Herald 7 Nov. 4/1: Hell will be your bed, and blue blazes your blankets. | |
| Down-Easters I 88: D---d etarnal hot here, hey? – Hot as blue blazes. | |
| Col. Crockett’s Tour to North and Down East 89: If that would not do, I’d fight him, by the blue blaizes. | |
| Brighton Gaz. 10 Dec. 1/5: Come, are you ready, my old coon? Let’s drive blue blazes thro’ ’em. | |
| Chronicles of Pineville 32: Just give Bill Sweeny a fair shake, and he can whoop blue blazes out of ye. | |
| ‘A Fearful Tale of the Mississippi’ in Polly Peablossom’s Wedding 123: A tingling cold feeling began to seize me, and a strong inclination to sing out for ‘help!’ ‘fire!’ and blue blazes! | |
![[Ind]](/static/img/flags/ind.png "India") | Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Sept. 100/2: Every man will swig off his tipple like blue blazes. | |
| diary in Gosnell Before the Mast (1989) 19 June 51: The wind blowing ‘blue blazes’. | |
| Joaquin 50: By all the blue blazes, I’ll go take his hide. [Ibid.] 131: To blazes and blackness with the Mexicans! | |
| Gambrinus 8: Blue blazes! what’s this I see? | |
| Leeds Mercury 1 Nov. 6/1: It’s hotter than blue blazes to-day. | |
| Sporting Times 20 Feb. 1/4: ‘Well, what the blue blazes is it, anyhow?’. | |
| Argonia Clipper (KS) 7 Dec. 6/4: Blue blazes, but I know I’m dying! | |
| Hookey 50: ‘Hell and Tommy,’ said he; ‘blue blazes, red murder – if I get a chance.’. | |
| Truth (Brisbane) 19 Oct. 3/3: One or two [...] were asked ‘What the blue blazes they meant by smoodging to a girl wot used to be — —’. | |
| ‘Word-List From East Alabama’ in DN III:iv 292: blue blazes, n. Used in the expression, ‘As hot as blue blazes,’ i.e., extremely hot. | |
| Lancs. Eve. Post 9 Mar. 2/5: Mr Hunt asked what ‘the blind, blue blazes’ was the use of our continuing the present unfair fiscal system. | |
| Observer (N.Z.) 27 Nov. 51/3: What the blues blazes do you mean, you bally pirate. | |
| Trying Out Torchy 43: ‘How the blue belted blazes do I know where he is?’ growls Old Hickory. | |
| Luton Times 26 Mar. 2/6: The grouch caustically enquired, ‘What the seven kinds of blue blazes do you think I want with a thimble?’. | |
| Rainbow in Morning 90: As hot as blue blazes in hell. | |
| Wash Tubbs [comic strip] Jumping blue blazes! | |
| Whizzbang Comics 66: Where the blue blazes is she going? | |
| Poor Man’s Orange 23: With this remarkable statement Mumma got up and stood on Motty, who yelled blue blazes. | |
| Report on UFOs 36: In Milwaukee a lady saw ten go over her house ‘like blue blazes,’ heading south. | |
| Whichaway (1967) 10: Beans said it sure as blue blazes was. | |
| Freaky Friday 34: Who in blue blazes did you think it was? | |
 | Star (Jamaica) 13 Nov. 🌐 She could go to ‘blue blazes’ for all I care. | |
| ‘Ocker’ in The Drover’s Wives (2019) 182: Tommy come up like the blue blazes, game as Ned Kelly. |
an oath.
| Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era. |
see separate entry.
In exclamations
a general excl. of extreme surprise, absolute confusion etc.
| Otterbury Incident 121: What the blue blazes is all this? | |
| Great Expectations (1992) 71: What the Blue Blazes is he? | |
| (con. WWII) Deathmakers 211: What the blue blazes was that? | |
| It (1987) 91: What the blue hell?’ Annie asked. |
(US black) an intensifiying excl. used to underline a question; euph. of hell n. etc.
| Shaft 28: Who in blue really gave a shit? |