Green’s Dictionary of Slang

blue adj.5

a euph. for bloody adj. (1)

[US]Hopkinsville Kentuckian (KY) 15 June 2/3: By the blankety, bloinkety, blasted, blue — — you can’t run a show without swearing.
[Aus]W.S. Walker In the Blood 210: But I’ve ’eard ’em, blue lashin’s of ’em.
[US]Ade Girl Proposition 9: He could not believe that a real Diana would trifle with a blue Cat-Fish.
[Ire]Joyce Ulysses 48: Now where the blue hell am I bringing her beyond the veil?
[US]D. Hammett ‘$106,000 Blood Money’ Story Omnibus (1966) 348: ‘Blue hell!’ Tom-Tom Carey barked.
[US]W. Guthrie Bound for Glory (1969) 372: There’s a blue jillion things wrong with how th’ country’s run.
[UK]J. Arden Live Like Pigs Act IV: There’s one blue screw to bite no padlocks onto no poor boys no more.
[Aus]D. Maitland Breaking Out 122: My Mum would’ve had a blue fit if she’d known.
[Ire](con. 1930s–50s) E. Mac Thomáis Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 52: He swore like blue hell.
[SA]M.N. Williams Kwa-Landlady in Perkins (1998) 168: That’s a blue lie.

In compounds

blue blazes (n.) (also blue blaizes) [blazes n. (1)]

a euph. for hell, usu. in phr., e.g. hot as blue blazes, go blue blazes.

[Ire]Spirit of Irish Wit 102: ‘Blue blazes to your soul, you bloody tief’.
[US]M.L. Weems Drunkard’s Looking Glass (1929) 117: Ye steep down gulphs of liquid fire! Ye blue blazes of damnation!
[Ire]‘A Real Paddy’ Real Life in Ireland 166: Blood and blue blazes, swore old Mrs. Tarpaulin.
[UK]Oxford Univ. & City Herald 7 Nov. 4/1: Hell will be your bed, and blue blazes your blankets.
[US]John Neal Down-Easters I 88: D---d etarnal hot here, hey? – Hot as blue blazes.
[US]D. Crockett Col. Crockett’s Tour to North and Down East 89: If that would not do, I’d fight him, by the blue blaizes.
[UK]Brighton Gaz. 10 Dec. 1/5: Come, are you ready, my old coon? Let’s drive blue blazes thro’ ’em.
[US]W.T. Thompson Chronicles of Pineville 32: Just give Bill Sweeny a fair shake, and he can whoop blue blazes out of ye.
[US] ‘A Fearful Tale of the Mississippi’ in T.A. Burke 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]Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Sept. 100/2: Every man will swig off his tipple like blue blazes.
[US]C. Abbey diary in Gosnell Before the Mast (1989) 19 June 51: The wind blowing ‘blue blazes’.
[US]H.L. Williams Joaquin 50: By all the blue blazes, I’ll go take his hide. [Ibid.] 131: To blazes and blackness with the Mexicans!
[US]F. Dumont Gambrinus 8: Blue blazes! what’s this I see?
[UK]Leeds Mercury 1 Nov. 6/1: It’s hotter than blue blazes to-day.
[UK]Sporting Times 20 Feb. 1/4: ‘Well, what the blue blazes is it, anyhow?’.
[US]Argonia Clipper (KS) 7 Dec. 6/4: Blue blazes, but I know I’m dying!
[UK]A.N. Lyons Hookey 50: ‘Hell and Tommy,’ said he; ‘blue blazes, red murder – if I get a chance.’.
[Aus]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 — —’.
[US]L.W. Payne Jr ‘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.
[UK]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.
[UK]Observer (N.Z.) 27 Nov. 51/3: What the blues blazes do you mean, you bally pirate.
[US]S. Ford Trying Out Torchy 43: ‘How the blue belted blazes do I know where he is?’ growls Old Hickory.
[UK]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?’.
[US]J.F. Dobie Rainbow in Morning 90: As hot as blue blazes in hell.
[US]R. Crane Wash Tubbs [comic strip] Jumping blue blazes!
[UK]Whizzbang Comics 66: Where the blue blazes is she going?
[Aus]R. Park Poor Man’s Orange 23: With this remarkable statement Mumma got up and stood on Motty, who yelled blue blazes.
[US]E.J. Ruppelt Report on UFOs 36: In Milwaukee a lady saw ten go over her house ‘like blue blazes,’ heading south.
[US]G. & K. Swarthout Whichaway (1967) 10: Beans said it sure as blue blazes was.
[US]M. Rodgers 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.
R. O’Neill ‘Ocker’ in The Drover’s Wives (2019) 182: Tommy come up like the blue blazes, game as Ned Kelly.
blue murder (n.)

see separate entry.

In exclamations

what the blue blazes! (also what the blue hell!)

a general excl. of extreme surprise, absolute confusion etc.

[UK]C. Day Lewis Otterbury Incident 121: What the blue blazes is all this?
[UK]Dickens Great Expectations (1992) 71: What the Blue Blazes is he?
[UK](con. WWII) G. Sire Deathmakers 211: What the blue blazes was that?
[US]S. King It (1987) 91: What the blue hell?’ Annie asked.
who in blue!

(US black) an intensifiying excl. used to underline a question; euph. of hell n. etc.

[US]E. Tidyman Shaft 28: Who in blue really gave a shit?