UNIT 5 COLOURS

We live in a world of colours, don't we? We often say, or hear people say, a clear
blue sky, a deep blue sea, a red, red rose, as white as snow, as black as coal, and so
on. But do we know that many everyday expressions in English are made from
colours?

For example, sometimes, when the people we love are not near us, we feel blue,
that is, we feel sad and lonely. And the slow, sad, soulful music of the African-
Americans is called ‘blues’ because it reflects the sad lonely feelings of those
African-Americans. Then there are: out of the blue, which means without warning;
once in a blue moon, which means very rarely or hardly ever; blue-collar, a term
which refers to workers doing manual or unskilled work, and many others.

What about green? If somebody has green fingers, he or she has the natural skill of
growing plants successfully. So if you do not have green fingers, don't ever think of
taking up gardening as a hobby. And if someone is young and inexperienced, he or
she is a greenhorn, or we can say he or she is still green. If someone is given the
green light, it means he or she is allowed by someone in authority to go ahead with
a certain project or programme. A greengrocer is of course a person or a
shopkeeper that sells fruit and vegetables. And a term often heard these days is the
greenhouse effect, which refers to the warming of the earth's surface as a result of
the trapping of long-wave radiation by carbon dioxide, ozone, and other gases in the
earth's atmosphere.

Now, let's go to politics. When we say someone is pink, we mean that he or she has
mild left-wing views, and therefore is a socialist. But to be in the pink is to be in the
best of health. One very popular song of the mid-fifties goes like this: Enjoy yourself,
it's later than you think. Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink. By the way, do
you know that your little finger is called a pinkie?

But if you're red instead of pink, then you're a true leftist, a communist. But when
you see red, it means you are very angry. When a business company is in the red it
means that the company is losing money and is in debt. When a footballer is shown
a red card, he is sent off the pitch for violating one of the rules of the game. And to
paint the town red is to go to a lot of different bars, clubs, etc. to enjoy oneself in a
lively, and often drunken way. Then, we roll out the red carpet for VIPs. When
someone is caught red-handed, he or she is caught in the act of committing a
crime. And most modern-day teenagers enjoy red hot music, which is music that is
loud and quick in rhythm. A red letter day is an important, or special day because
something particularly good, or important happens on this day. And how we hate all
that red tape, which refers to all those unnecessary rules and regulations which
result in delay.
Are you yellow? If so, you have no courage; you are cowardly. But when a footballer
is shown a yellow card, it means that he is warned for having broken a rule. And a
yellow ribbon is a symbol of welcome - in the USA - for those returning home after
having undergone danger. For instance, a soldier returning home from battle is quite
likely to find yellow ribbons tied round a tree in his front yard.

Do you like to wear black clothes? You are not all alone if you say ‘yes’. Black is the
most preferred colour in today’s fashion world. And the highest belt awarded in
martial arts is black. However, black is also associated with mysterious or
frightening things, as in black holes, black magic, black spirits, and so on. Like any
other colours, black has both positive and negative connotations. For instance, a
company in the black has more money than it owes. But, when someone is
described as the black sheep of the family, he or she notoriously stands out from
the rest of the family.

Then, do we know that we use colour to express a sense of group identity? We wear
uniforms at school, in the army or in the police force to show that we belong to a
particular group. We also dress in our favourite sports team colours to say the same
thing. And, we will notice that flag colours vary from country to country. The colours
of a national flag represent the country's history, beliefs and values, as well as its
glorious past and hopeful future. If we see a group of football fans waving their
national flags at the stadium, we can guess where they come from.

Are we aware that colour is used as a fast and powerful tool for sending out
different messages? The colours of the traffic lights - amber, red, and green - mean
slow down, stop, and go respectively. In the world of business, companies always
select the colour of their brand very carefully. For instance, a bank uses a calm blue
to show that it is trustworthy. Advertisers use bright and cheerful colours to say that
we will have a brighter future if we use their products.

All in all, we live our lives in colour from our earliest days. Colour has a big part in
everything we do. The language we use in daily life is full of colour-related
expressions. We also use colour as a badge of identity and as a way of
communicating different messages. Thus, we can increase our understanding of the
world around us by learning about what colours represent. If there were no colour in
the world, we would definitely live a dull life.