Yellow Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘white’ and now look at ‘yellow’.

Yellow peril is used to refer to cowardice and first seen in 1856.

Yellow-bellied is, as above, used to refer to cowardice and first used in 1924. The term yellow-belly had earlier been used by sailors to refer to their colleagues who were of mixed race. Note, while this and the previous examples show the colour as representing cowardice, traditionally (and as late as the 18th century) yellow has been associated with jealousy/envy.

Yellow dog is seen by 1770, and refers to a mongrel pooch. Later, by 1881, it is used to refer to someone seen as contemptible.

Yellow fever is first described in 1748, today we are more likely to say ‘jaundiced’.

Yellow journalism is an American expression referring to sensational chauvinism in the media, first seen in 1898. This began as the press were for aggression against Spain, and representative of the image of the Yellow Kid, the main character in Richard Outcault’s comic strip Shantytown.

Yellow ribbon, is an American tradition where such is worn to show support for friends and loved ones fighting for their country. In began in 1979 with the US embassy hostage crisis in Iran. Despite the oft-told story of it being from the film She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, a John Wayne film from 1949, there is no evidence of it being used prior to this. Of course the one thing which comes to mind when mentioning yellow ribbons, is the song by Tony Orlando and Dawn from 1973. This tells of how the ribbon would be displayed to show a convict returning home after being released from prison that they forgave him or her. Only problem here is, the ribbon had been used to show such forgiveness since 1959 but until the early Seventies had always been white. Yellow was a fictional account first told in a newspaper in 1971, the following year dramatized on television.

Yellowcake is first described in 1950, it’s an oxide of uranium.

Yellowtail is a name attributed to a fish, first described in 1709.

Yellow streak is simply another way of describing cowardice, first seen in the New Orleans newspaper the Daily Picayune in 1892.

Yellow brick road is the route followed in order to fulfil your hopes and dreams. The question is what came first, the film or the idea. We can be sure it wasn’t Elton John’s single and album of the same name. Although it is uncertain just when the metaphor was first used, it is quite clear the film The Wizard of Oz based on the book by Frank L. Baum followed the use of the phrase to suggest the streets of America was where a fortune could be made for those who chose the right path. Probably beginning around the time of the gold rush, the Emerald City in the land of Oz represents the US dollar.

Just to confuse matters in Middle English the word ‘yellow’ referred to a closer to blue-grey or even grey – used specifically to refer to the colour of eyes or of frogs.

White Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘pink’ and now look at ‘white’.

White flag used to signal a truce, is first seen in the early 17th century. There must have been a time when both sides agreed this would signal a temporary ceasefire, for if only one side knew it could be disastrous for them.

White dwarf is an astronomical reference to a type of star and first recorded in 1924.

White witch, one who uses her power for good, is first recorded in 1620.

Nobody told a white lie until 1741.

White water, a reference to the turbulent waters over rapids, is first seen in the 1580s.

White collar workers were first described in 1911. Although white collar crime was not seen until 1957.

White elephant, something which proved expensive and nigh impossible to get rid of, is first seen in 1851. This was said to be because the King of Siam insisted on giving a present of a sacred albino elephant to any courtier who had fallen out of favour. Said courtier could not sell it nor dispose of it without incurring the wrath of the monarch, but would still have to pay for its upkeep.

White meat, chicken for example, is first seen in 1752.

White bread was not described as such until the early 14th century – this simply because the flour used to make the bread was not white.

White feather, a symbol of cowardice, is first seen in 1785 – although then it referred to the blood sport of cock fighting, when the bird with no white feathers was considered to be braver.

White noise, the sound you get when a receiver is not tuned properly, is first described in 1970.

Nothing was white hot until 1820.

White out – when everywhere is blanketed in a cover of snow – is first recorded in 1946. In 1977 it was also used to describe correction fluid, until the preparatory name took over.

Egg white, that part of the egg which is colourless until cooked, must have been known since the earliest days when Homo sapiens walked the planet. Yet it was never referred to as egg white until as recently as 1881. As we all know it is also known as albumen, but for the vast majority the term ‘glair’ was used before egg white gained in popularity.