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This is our final post on expressions with colors, and I will go over different colors that don’t have multiple common expressions.

‘Avere il sangue blu’, having blue blood, has nothing to do with the famous police TV show, but it means to be of noble family. The expression dates back to the Middle Ages, when noble families in Spain were distancing themselves from the Moors by showing their pale complexion and how the veins were visible under their skin.

‘Essere nero’, being black, is a reference to the ‘black’ or negative mood someone would be in when they are mad or really upset. In a similar way, ‘Vedere nero’. seeing black, describes someone who has a negative approach to life or a situation. On the other hand, ‘Vedere rosa’, seeing pink, is similar to the English rainbows and unicorns of someone who is positive and optimistic. Likewise, ‘Cronaca nera’ and ‘Cronaca rosa’ identify news that are respectively related to negative events (deaths, violence, etc) or positive events, especially if related to people’s lives such as engagements, weddings, births.

‘Un giallo’, a “yellow” book, is another name for a detective story, such as an Agatha Christie’s book. The name derives from the habit of printing these books with yellow covers.