Ça sent finalement le printemps!

Le visage est touché avec douceur par la chaleur du soleil brillant. Des boutons de fleurs se forment aux branches des arbres nus et préparent les observateurs à la beauté qui va bientôt s’épanouir.

C’est pendant les pluies de printemps que les couleurs majestueuses de l’arc-en-ciel percent les sombres nuages. Tout comme l’aperçu de l’arc-en-ciel ajoute beaucoup de ton et charme au jour, ce prisme des couleurs ajoute une luminosité à la langue anglaise.

Voici 16 expressions anglaises pour chaque couleur de l’arc en ciel qui vont certainement éclaircir votre anglais.

English Expressions for every Colour of the Rainbow

It finally feels like spring is here!

The glowing sun kissing the face with enveloping warmth. Little buds popping on the branches of trees preparing observers for the beauty that is soon to blossom.

The springtime showers is also the time when the majestic colours of the rainbow can be seen peaking through clouds. Just as the view of the rainbow adds so much colour and beauty to our day, so does the prism of colours add radiance to the English language.

Here are 16 idioms for every color of the rainbow than will surely brighten up your English.

16 Idioms of Colour | 16 expressions anglaises de couleur

1. Feeling blue

You say: I’m feeling blue, today.
You mean: I’m feeling sad, today.

2. Once in a blue moon

You say: Once in a blue moon, I watch a movie at the cinema.
You mean: There are still times that I go to watch a movie at the cinema, but it’s so rare that it almost never happens.

3. Purple patch

You say: We’re going through a purple patch.
You mean: We’re going through a period where everything is going really well.

4. Purple prose

You say: She writes in purple prose.
You mean: When she writes, she uses words that are more complex than necessary.

5. Shrinking violet

You say: He’s a shrinking violet.
You mean: He’s extremely shy.

6. Be tickled pink

You say: I was tickled pink when I received the huge bouquet of flowers.
You mean: I felt so happy and in a good mood when I received the huge bouquet of flowers.

7. Pink slip

You say: I got a pink slip.
You mean: I got fired from my job; I received a C4.

8. A red cent

You say: I spent hours on that project and didn’t get paid a red cent.
You mean: I spent hours on that project and wasn’t paid any money at all – not even one cent.

9. Red-eye

You say: I’m taking the red eye to Japan.
You mean: My flight will leave late at night and I will arrive very early in the morning (Japan time).

10. Red ink

You say: There is too much red ink on our balance sheet.
You mean: We have too much debt.

11. Brown off

You say: He really browned me off yesterday.
You mean: He really irritated me (made me angry) yesterday.

12. Compare apples to oranges

You say: Let’s not compare apples to oranges.
You mean: These two things are completely different. Let’s not compare them.

13. To be yellow

You say: I didn’t know he was so yellow.
You mean: I didn’t know he was so cowardly.

14. Give the green light

You say: He gave us the green light to buy the equipment!
You mean: He gave us permission to buy the equipment! We are allowed to do it!

15. Good as gold

You say: My secretary is as good as gold.
You mean: My secretary is amazing; extremely valuable.

16. Have the rub of the green

You say: We have the rub of the green this year.
You mean: We are very lucky this year.

L’équipe de LV Linguistics écrit volontiers sur des sujets en lien avec la culture professionnelle et aime trouver des moyens de les utiliser pour aider les lecteurs à améliorer leurs compétences en anglais. Outre ces articles liés au monde des affaires, à l’entrepreneuriat ou encore à l’équilibre travail-vie privée, nous redoublons d’efforts pour créer et partager des exercices de grammaire et de vocabulaire anglais qui, nous l’espérons, vous aideront à briller dans vos conversations.

N’hésitez pas à nous faire signe si vous souhaitez que nous abordions l’un ou l’autre sujet dans ces pages !