Welcome to Wiser Now’s weekly email blast which reflects my eclectic interests and, I hope, yours. As July approaches, I have been thinking about independence days, flags, and blue. Canada and the U.S. celebrate their independence days in July, but so do more than 20 other countries from Algeria to Venezuela. As the five Olympic rings on a white background denote, all country flags have at least one of six colors in common, and one of them is often blue, but oh, blue is much more complex than a color. And quirky. Read on.
I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) And if you haven’t yet pressed the subscribe button so this newsletter doesn’t go to spam, please do so now.
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The Quirky Quote
Blue skies, smiling at me, Nothing but blue skies, Do I see.
The Quirky Facts
Dozens of countries and territories have red, white, and blue flags. Overall, red is the most popular color found in national flags (over 75%), white is second (over 70%) and blue is third (over 50%). As a flag color, blue often represents blue skies or the blue ocean, but in the U.S., it stands for justice, a worthy aspiration.
As a color, blue has many variations and symbolic meanings. If you ask people to name a color, any color, they will most often answer red, but if you ask them to name their favorite color, the most common answer is blue, an answer that increases in frequency as people age.
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In general, blue is associated with loyalty and trustworthiness. That’s reflected in “blue chip stocks” derived from poker games where the blue chips have the highest value. The stock is therefore something of reliable value. In its lighter shades, blue is considered calming and may even lower your heart rate; in darker shades, it reflects power and confidence (men in blue suits, soldiers in uniform). Blue jeans are a whole separate story. |
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I personally favor turquoise blue which is associated with a host of positives from tranquility and clarity (as in Caribbean seas) to refreshing energy, creativity, and joy. Then there’s the purplish-blue hue known as periwinkle which is said to represent peacefulness, femininity, and comfort, and can be found in a variety of flowers beyond its namesake such as hyacinths, hydrangeas, irises, and morning glories.
Then there’s music. The Blues originated in the American South among African Americans in the early 20th century and the songs tend to express the (usually female) singer’s sadness over love and/or hard times. In contrast, Bluegrass music is characterized by a tenor lead singer and foot-stomping fast instrumental accompaniment (or solos) on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar. Blue as it relates to music, also deserves its own issue. In the meantime, check Resources for more.
The Quirky Observations
It should come as no surprise that I am especially fascinated by all the English expressions related to blue. Some appear in the quiz below, but a few deserve their own explanations.
Blueblood is a blatantly racist term that originated in Spain perhaps as early as the 1500s and is the literal translation of “sangre azul”. It was claimed by some of the oldest and proudest families of Castile and referenced the blue veins visible on their pale skin as compared to those of other ethnicities.
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A bluenose in the dictionary is said to be a prudish or puritanical person, but the origin is unclear (although it seems to have once referred to the Tories or Loyalists who fled to Canada during the American Revolutionary War). Nova Scotians now proudly identify themselves as bluenoses in reference to the name of the famous racing schooner that was built there. But the most colorful story I read said that fisherman’s wives used a cheap blue dye on the wool mittens they knit for their spouses. After days at sea with nothing to wipe their runny noses with but the back of their hands, the fishermen would return to land with tinted schnozzles.
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Bluestocking was a put-down that practitioners turned into a term of pride. According to Merriam-Webster, a group of English women in the mid-1700s looking for more evening intellectual stimulation than the idle chatter and card-playing generally allotted them, began inviting “illustrious men of letters” to “conversation parties.” One favorite guest was the scholar-botanist Benjamin Stillingfleet who wore cheap blue worsted stockings, that were disdained by polite society. “Those who considered it inappropriate for women to aspire to learning derisively called the group the ‘Blue Stocking Society,’” but the women who first earned it, soon embraced the epithet as their society’s name.
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The Featured Product
This week we’re giving you a free, downloadable bonus trivia quiz on “Why Is That the Color?” You can access it here. Sunsets are often different every night, but why does decaf coffee in restaurants come in an orange-rimmed pot? Why are traffic lights always top to bottom red, yellow, green? Where did the expression “in the limelight” come from? Click and find out.
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Please Spread the Word
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Directions for Sharing
Each week, the links to the current and seven previous Wiser Now Wednesdays are provided in the archive (“WN Wed Archive” on the far right of the menu bar). Click on the issue you want to share, and when it appears, at the top of the screen you will see “Share” with an f for Facebook and a bird for Twitter. Click on them to share to your contacts or just copy the URL at the top of your screen and send it to them in an email. Thank you!
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The Questions
- Do you like the color blue or certain shades of blue? If so which ones and in what (i.e., clothing, decorating, flowers)?
- For some people blue is soothing and calming, and for others it’s a sad color. What mood does it invoke in you? Does tropical turquoise invoke a different mood than ice blue or navy blue?
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The Quiz - Match the expression to Its meaning
There are dozens of words and expressions related to blue. We didn’t include blueprint, blue ribbon, or feeling blue, but hope you can figure out the 8 below without getting into a blue funk.
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1. Blue language ____
2. Blue law ____
3. Blue plate special ____
4. Once in a blue moon ____
5. True blue ____
6. Tried 'til he was blue in the face ____
7. Bolt from the blue ____
8. Talked a blue streak ____
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a. an event that occurs infrequently
b. loyal or faithful
c. laws about morality issues
d. off-color comments, cursing
e. unexpected, like lightning
f. endlessly
g. low-priced meal at a restaurant
h. pointlessly, because it was never going to succeed
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The Resources
Photo credits unless otherwise noted are from Wikipedia or purchased from iStock.
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Answers to the quiz
1.d 2.c 3.g 4.a 5.b 6.h 7.e 8.f
Other fun expressions of a person who talks endlessly: S/He could talk the bark off a tree or the hind leg off a donkey.
Isn’t English delightful?
One final thought: May the bluebird of happiness follow you everywhere and the blue jay of crabbiness never come closer than your birdfeeder.
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My multiple goals are to amuse and inspire you, to share what I and people whom I admire are doing, to stimulate your curiosity and spur you to action. I hope you enjoyed this offering. You can access previous issues here. I welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com)
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