Out of the blue

Posted by R. Berg on April 14, 2001

In Reply to: Out of the blue posted by christine on April 14, 2001

: I know the meaning of the phrase as something unexpected or out of nowhere but from where does this term originate? I think it may be from the blue of the skies but I'm not sure!

I can't find "out of the blue" in my sources, but Webster's unabridged, 1934, does identify blue with the sky (or celestial space or the far distance) in the similar phrase "a bolt from the blue."

• Out of the blue christine 04/14/01
  • Out of the blue R. Berg 04/14/01