All the colours of the rainbow

Did you know that there are over 6900 languages spoken on a daily basis around the world today? Among these languages however, at least 20 share an interesting feature – when it comes to describing colour, they have distinct terms only for black, white, and red! With this in mind, it is heartening to know that in Europe our choice of words for colours extends far beyond the reach of only three colours, and they are also widely used to express moods, emotions and personal characteristics. We see them in idiomatic descriptions such as blue for tranquility, pink for love, green for the natural world. Equally, these notions can often be turned on their head and we can also feel 'a bit blue', 'see red' or even be 'green with envy'! The use of colours in our European languages is very symbolic and as a result gives rise to a rich and varied list of idioms.
Your suggestions are most welcome for further developing this resource!

ENGLISH
to be black and blue
 - to be bruised and beaten
to be black and white - to be straight forward; to be very clear
to black out - to faint
to be the black sheep - to be the odd or disreputable member of the group or family
to be/stay in the black - to be successful or profitable
the black market - the area where illegal things such as drugs and guns are bought and sold
to be as black as coal - to be very black
a black tie event - a formal event or party that men are expected to wear a black suit with a tie
the Black death - the Plague, the Pestilence

FRENCH
avoir des idées noires - to feel very sad  (lit. to have black ideas)
broyer du noir - to be very pessimistic (lit. to grind some black)
se mettre dans une colère noire - to have a big fit of anger (lit. to have a black fit of anger)
dire blanc et noir - not to decide who to support (lit. to say white and black)
dire tantôt blanc, tantôt noir - to say something and its contrary at the same time (lit. to sometimes say white and some other time say black)
être dans le noir total - to not understand anything at a situation (lit. to be in pitch black)
être d’humeur noire - to feel gloomy (lit. to be in a black mood)
l’or noir - in reference to oil or petroleum, which represent a source of wealth (lit. black oil)
être noir comme du charbon - to be very black (lit. to be black as charcoal)
être noir sur blanc - to be written clearly (lit. to be black on white)
être noir - to be black (lit. drunk) 
peindre une situation en noir - to be excessively pessimistic about a situation (lit. to paint a situation in black)
la peste noire - the Black Plague that spread over Europe between 1347 and 1352
s’enfoncer dans le noir - to feel gloomy (lit. to sink into blackness)
travailler au noir - to be a moonlighter, to work illegally (lit. to work black)
un endroit noir de monde - a place full of people (lit. a place black with people)
un petit noir - a cup of coffee (lit. a small black)
une vie mêlée de blanc et de noir - a life full of extremes (lit. a life mixed with white and black)
voir tout en noir - to be very pessimistic (lit. to see everything in black)
être noir - to be black (lit. drunk) 
un film noir - an atmospherically suspenseful cinema (lit. a black film)
être noir comme un four - to be very dark black (lit. black as an oven)     
être bête noire - a person’s least favorite thing/a harmful thing/anathema (lit. the black beast)
un œil au beurre noir - a bruised eye (lit. black butter eye)

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
crni dani - hard times (lit. black days)
crna zemlja - burying ground (lit. black soil)
čija majka crnu vunu prede? - who is in grave danger? (lit. whose mother spins black wool?)
voda sve opere osim crna obraza - if one loses his/her honour, then it goes lost forever (lit. water can wash everything but a black cheek)
crna ovca - black sheep
crna - death (lit. black)

CRÉOLE FROM LA RÉUNION
out kanar lé noir - you are going to be in trouble (lit. your duck is black..)

CZECH
lidí až cerno - to be very crowded (lit. to be black with people)
cerné na bílém - to be an undeniable fact (lit. to be black on white)f
naplatí se, až zcerná - to pay something through the nose (lit. to pay until one turns black) 
zavrít nekoho, až zcerná - to be locked away for a very long prison sentence (lit. to be locked away until one turns black)
teče mu/jí červená - to be bleeding (lit. red is pouring/flowing out of him/her)

DANISH
sortseer - a person that illegally gets TV/radio reception without paying any fees; also a pessimist (lit. to be a black viewer)
sorte penge - money earned without paying income tax (lit. black money)
gå i sort - to freeze; to not be able to do anything (lit. to go in black)

DUTCH
zwartmaken - to defame someone (lit. to make someone black)
zwartkijken - to watch TV without paying for it (lit. to watch black)
op zwart zaad zitten - to be broke (lit. to sit on black seed)
zwartrijden - to ride public transport without paying (lit. to black ride)
het zag er zwart van de mensen - to look crowded/packed with people (lit. to be black with people)
iets zwart op wit zetten - to put something in writing (lit. to put something down black on white)
liegen dat je zwart ziet - lying so much that there's no truth left in your story (lit. to lie until one looks black)
zwarte sneeuw zien - to live in poverty (lit. to see black snow)
zwartepieten - to decide who gets the blame (lit. to black Peter)

ESTONIAN
riided on mustad - dirty clothes (lit. clothes are black)

FINNISH
mustamaalata - to defame someone (lit. to black-pain someonet)
mustasukkainen - to be jealous (lit. to be black-socked)
muuttua mustaksi - to become angry (lit. to turn black)

GERMAN
warten bis man schwarz wird - to wait a very long time (lit. to wait until one becomes black)
schwarzfahren - to not pay the fare for a ride (lit. to black ride)
schwarze Liste - a list of undesirable/bad people/things (lit. a black list)
schwarz sehen - to be pessimistic (lit. to see black)
sich schwarz ärgern - to be very angry (lit. to be angry black)
etwas schwarz malen - to depict something in a pessimistic light (lit. to paint something black)
ins Schwarze treffen - to hit something very precisely (lit. to hit the black)
schwarz wie die Nacht sein - to be pitch black (lit. to be black as night)
jemandem den schwarzen Peter zuschieben - to pass an unpleasant responsibility onto someone else (lit. to pass the black Peter to someone)
eine schwarze Seele haben - to be evil (lit. to have a black soul)

GREEK
το μαύρο πρόβατο της οικογένειας - the odd or disreputable member of the group or family (lit. the black sheep of the family)
κλαίω με/χύνω μαύρο δάκρυ- cry very bitter and painful tears (lit. to cry with/spill a black tear)
μαύρη γάτα - black cat; a symbol of bad luck (lit. black cat)
κάνω μαύρα μάτια να δω κάποιον - to have not seen someone for a long time (lit. to do black eyes in order to see someone)
μαύρα μεσάνυχτα - to be completely ignorant about something(lit. black at midnight) μαύρη πέτρα - someone who never came back (lit. black tone)
δεν είναι άσπρο-μαύρο- to not be clearly defined; to have room for confusion, ambiguity, or discrepancy. (lit. to be not black and white).
τα έχω μαύρα - to be angry (lit. to have them black)
είμαι στις μαύρες μου - to be in a very bad mood, to have the blues (lit. to be in one's black ones)
μαύρος στο ξύλο - to be black and blue; to be bruised and beaten (lit. to be black in wood)
μαυρίζω κάποιον την ψυχή - to make someone sad/depressed (lit. to black someone's soul)

IRISH
bheith dubh dóite - to be bored (lit. to be black-burnt)
bheith dubh le daoine - to be black with people (lit. to be crowded, packed)
scamall dubh - depression (lit. a black cloud)
galar dubh - depression (lit. a black disease)
fear dubh - the devil (lit. the black man)

ITALIAN
cronaca nera - crime news (lit. the black column)
bestia nera - a person’s least favourite thing, a harmful thing (lit. the black beast)
cuore nero - cruelty (lit. a black heart)
periodo nero - a period of bad times and trouble (lit. a black period)
umor nero - grumpiness, pessimism (lit. a black mood)
fame nera - extreme hunger (lit. black hunger)
vedere tutto nero - to be pessimistic (lit. to see everything black)
fare un quadro nero della situazione - to portray something negatively or pessimistically (lit. to make a black picture of the situation)
fare nero qualcuno - to hurt someone very badly (lit. to make someone black)
conti neri - secret or unlawful accounts (lit. black accounts)
nero come la pece - to be very dark black (lit. to be black as pitch)
pensieri neri - gloomy thoughts (lit. black thoughts)
anima nera - a villain (lit. a black soul)
oro nero - oil or petroleum (lit. black gold)
vino nero - red wine (lit. black wine)
mettere nero su bianco - to put pen to paper, to write down, to formalize.(lit. to put black on white)

LITHUANIAN
juodi pinigai - unfairly earned money (lit. black money)
juodas darbas - to work very hard (lit. black labour)

NORWEGIAN
å svartmale - to portray a situation negatively (lit. to paint something black)
svarte ta deg - to go to hell (lit. the black take you)
svarteper - refers to a card game (Blackjack). To be left with "svarteper" means to drawthe short straw.
sort får (å være familiens sorte får) - to be the odd or disreputable member of the group or family (lit. the black sheep of the family)
det svarte marked - black market

POLISH
czarna rozpacz - state of great despair (lit. black despair)
czarna ospa - smallpox (lit. black pox)
czarna owca -
to be the odd or disreputable member of the group or family (lit. black sheep)
odkladac na czarna godzine - to save for later/for a rainy day (lit. to put away for a black hour)
czarno coś widzieć - to be pessimistic (lit. to be black about something)
czarny - a villain (lit. a black character)
mala czarna - an espresso or a little black dress (lit. a small black)
czarno cos widziec - to be pessimistic (lit. to see something in black) 
czarno ksieznik - a wizard (lit. a black moon person)
mieć czarne myśli - to be pessimistic (lit. to have black thoughts)
pracować na czarno - to work illegally (lit. to work in black)

POLISH
biały tydzień - The week after the first communion when children go to church (lit. white week)

PORTUGUESE
a coisa está preta! - a situation hard to deal with (lit. the thing is black!)
humor negro - touchy or controversial humor (lit. black humour)

ROMANIAN
a fi negru de suparare- to sulk, to be visibly angry (lit. to be black with anger)
scrie negru pe alb - to be clearly written, established, fixed (lit. to be written black on white)
n-o fi dracul atât de negru - things are not that bad (lit. the devil's not that black)
a fi negru în cerul gurii - to be cruel (lit. to have a black palate)
mizerie neagra - dire poverty (lit. black misery)
inima neagra- a spade (in playing cards) (lit. a black heart)
buba-neagra - anthrax (lit. a black ulcer)
a fi negru la suflet - to be evil (lit. to be black in the soul)
padure neagra - a deep, dark forest (lit. a black forest)
în negru - to be in mourning (lit. in black)
cât negru sub unghile - only a little bit, almost nothing (lit. as much as black under the fingernail)
a vedea totul în negru- to be pessimistic (lit. to see everything in black)
a face zile negre - to bother, irritate (lit. to make black days for someone)
pâine neagra - brown bread (lit. black bread)
bani negri - money gained dishonestly (black money)
negru ca abanosul - a very dark shade of black (for hair) (lit. as black as ebony)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
dubh
- the pupil of the eye (lit. black)
dubhfhacal - a riddle or parable (lit. a black saying)

SLOVAK
na cierno - illegally (lit. on the black) 

SPANISH
pasarlas negras - to have a tough time of it (lit. to pass the blacks)
verse negro - to be in a jam (lit. to see oneself black)
verlo todo negro - to be pessimistic (lit. to see everything black)
pagar en negro - to purchase something without paying taxes (lit. to pay in black)
cine negro - an atmospheric, suspenseful film (lit. black cinema)
ponerse más negro que el tizón - to get very tanned (lit. as black as a charred log)
humor negro - touchy or controversial humour; black humour (lit. humor negro)
tener a alguien negro (p.e. me tenéis negro/a) - to get someone angry (lit. to have someone black)

SWEDISH
svartsjuk 
- jealousy (lit. black disease) 
det svartnar för ögonen - to get so angry so as to get a blackout (lit. to blacken the eyes)

TURKISH
ak akçe kara gün içindir - hard-earned money saved for when it is needed (lit. white coin is for a black day)
kara haber - bad news (lit. black news)
kara gün - a day when something bad happens (lit. a black day)
gözükara - rash, excessively brave, berserk (lit. black-eyed)
kara cahil - a person who knows nothing (lit. black ignorant)
kara sevda - infatuation (lit. black love)
bahti kara - someone who is very unlucky (lit. black destiny)
kara gün dostu - true friend (lit. black day friend)
kara kara düsünmek - to brood (lit. think black black)

ENGLISH
a white lie - an innocent lie to protect another person's feelings
white feather - a display of cowardice
white elephant - a useless possession
to be as white as a sheet - to be in a state of great fear
a white-collar worker - a professional or office worker
to be whiter than white - to be innocent, pure and virtuous
to wave a white flag - to capitulate in a game, challenge or war
to be as white as a ghost - being very pale (said of a person’s face)

FRENCH
un blanc - a silence period in conversation (lit. a white)
passer une nuit blanche - to have a sleepless night (lit. to spend a white night)
blanc comme neige - innocent (lit. white as snow)
blanc comme un linge - to be very pale, white (lit. white as a piece of cloth)
blanc-bec - an inexperienced but pretentious person (lit. white beak)
blanchissement d'argent - money laundering (lit. money whitening)
faire chou blanc - to fail, despite one's best efforts (lit. to make white cabbage)
blanchissage - a shutout in a sports game - e.g. a hockey goalie not allowing a goal (lit. a whitening)
avoir un blanc - to forget something (e.g. a name) you usually know (lit. to have a white)
avoir un examen blanc - to take a practice/mock exam (lit. to have a white exam)
tirer à blanc - to shoot blanks (lit. to fire with white)
une oie blanche - a naive, silly girl (lit. a white goose)
cousu de fil blan - obviously fake (lit. sewn with white thread)
arme blanche - a weapon with a blade, such as a knife (lit. a white weapon)
fixer dans le blanc des yeux - to look at someone with intensity or defiance (lit. to stare at the whites of the eyes)
marquer d'une pierre blanche - to designate a day as one to be remembered (lit. to mark the day with a white stone)
blanc sur rouge, rien ne bouge; rouge sur blanc, tout fout le camp
- to drink white wine after red wine will not make one sick, while the contrary does (lit. white after red, nothing moves; red after white, everything falls apart)
un mariage blanc
- a white marriage (lit. a marriage of convenience) 
blanchir sous le harnais - to gain experience (lit. to whiten oneself under the harness)
bulletin blanc - a blank ballot (lit. white bulletin)
chauffé à blanc - to be very angry (lit. white heated)
col blanc - a white collar, an office worker (lit. white collar)
colère blanche - a big fit of anger (lit. white fit of anger)
coupe à blanc - the entire felling of a forest (lit. white cut)
coupe à blanc-estoc - the entire felling of a forest (lit. white thrust)
coupe blanche - the entire felling of a forest (lit. white cut)
de but en blanc - without any preparation (lit. from the aim to the white)
de la blanche - heroine (lit. some white)
dire tantôt blanc, tantôt noir - to say something and its contrary at the same time (lit. to sometimes say white and some other time say black)
donner un blanc seing - to give one’s agreement without any limits (lit. to give one’s white signature)
eléphant blanc - a financial abyss or an excessive project (lit. a white elephant)
laisser en blanc - to leave something black, without anything written
être blanc - to have grey hair (lit. to be white)
faire chou blanc - to fail (lit. to make a white cabbage)
hisser le drapeau blanc - to capitulate (lit. to hoist the white flag)
histoire cousue de fil blanc - a story that is obviously a lie (lit. a story sewn with white thread)
les blouses blanches - the medical staff in a hospital (lit. the white blouses)
l’un dit blanc, l’autre noir - when one person says oone thing but another other says the contrary (lit. one says white the other says black)
magie blanche - a kind of magic that is good (lit. white magic)
manger son pain blanc en premier - to start with the easiest thing to do (lit. to eat oneself’s white bread first)
noir sur blanc - stated clearly (lit. black on white)
or blanc - in reference to the snow that represents a source of wealth (lit. the white gold)
passer du blanc au noir - to change one’s mind (lit. to go from white to black)
peur blanche - a big fright (lit. a white scare)
russe blanc - a pro-czar Russian (lit. a white Russian)
saigner à blanc - to exploit something until there’s nothing left (lit. to bleed white)
un petit blanc - a glass of gin or a glass of white wine (lit. a small white)
une voix blanche - a toneless voice (lit. a white voice)
un vote blanc - an abstention vote (lit. a white vote)

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
b(ij)ela kuga - low birthrate (lit. white plague)
b(ij)eli svijet - whole wide world (lit. white world)
b(ij)eli dan - broad daylight (lit. white day)
b(ij)eli luk - garlic (lit. white onion)
b(ij)ela vrana - a person who is different from the crowd (lit. white crow)
b(ij)eli miševi - imagined or hallucinated things (lit. white mice)
b(ij)el kao smrt -
to be very pale, very white (lit. to be white as death)
побелео је од страха - to turn pale with fear (lit. to turn white with fear)

DANISH
hvid som et lagen - very pale (lit. white as a sheet)

DUTCH
een wit voetje halen - to make a good impression (via flattery) (lit. to get a white foot)
wit rond de neus worden - to get scared (lit. to get around the nose)
wit om de neus zien - to look nauseous (lit. to lookwhite around the nose)
zie ik zo wit? - do you think I'm crazy? (lit. do I look that white?)
geld witwassen - to launder money (lit. to whitewash money)
witte rook zien - a decision is already made (lit. to see white smoke)
de prins op het witte paard - the man of one's dreams (lit. the prince on the white horse)
witte werkster - a housemaid whose income is reported for taxes (lit. a white worker)

ESTONIAN
ronka ei saa valgeks pesta - to be unable to hide/change something's true nature (lit. a raven cannot be washed white)

GERMAN
eine weiße Weste haben - to be innocent (lit. to have a white vest)
weiße Mäuse sehen - to see things that are not there (lit. to see white mice)
hier steht es schwarz auf weiss -to be written, official (lit. it's here in black and white)
halbgötter in Weiß - physicians (lit. demigods in white)

GREEK
είναι άσπρος/άσπρισε σαν πανί- to be/turn pale, ghostly white due to fear (lit. to be/turn as white as a sheet)
άσπρο σαν το χιόνι - very white (lit. white as snow)
λευκός γάμος - a marriage without sexual contact (lit. white marriage)

IRISH
fear ag lorg capall bhán - someone looking for something one already has (lit. a man looking for a white horse)

ITALIAN
pesce/carne in bianco - plain fish/meat (lit. fish/meat in white)
mangiare in bianco 
- to eat without condiments (lit. to eat in white)
vedere bianco per nero
- to be deceived (lit. to see white for black)
passare una notte in bianco - to have a sleepless night (lit. to pass a night in white)
avere carta bianca -
  to have full authorisation to do what you want (lit. to have white card)
settimana bianca
 - a skiing vacation (lit. a white week)
morti bianche
 - people who die while they are working (lit. white deaths)
mosca bianca - a rare / unusual thing which stands out (lit. a white fly)
piu bianco
non si può - [from a popular tv ad] couldn't be more clean (lit. more white you cannot)
bianco come la neve
- snow-white (lit. white as snow)
rendere l'occasione bianca - to spoil it (lit. to make the occasion white)
bianco come un panno lavato
- to be as white as a sheet (very pale, usually because of illness, shock, or fear) (lit. white as washed cloth)
pretendere bianco per nero - to mislead (lit. to claim white for black)
di punto in bianco
- suddenly, unexpectedly (lit. from a point in white)
un coro di voci bianche
 - a children's chorus (lit. a chorus of white voices)
matrimonio in bianco - an unconsumated marriage (lit. a white marriage)
andare in bianco
- to go into the white (lit. to have no success with someone romantically)
essere bianco dalla paura - be very scared (lit. be white for fear)
fare un assegno in bianco - to give somebody a blank check (lit. make a blank check)
mettere nero su bianco - to write down (lit. to put black on white)

LITHUANIAN
baltas pavydas
- to be extremely jealous of something in a good way (lit. a white jealousy)
baltas it popierius - to be extremely pale (lit.white as a paper sheet)
balta varna - a person who is different from the crowd (lit. a white crow)

NORWEGIAN
å stirre døden i hvitøyet - to face one's fear, to achieve the seemingly impossible (lit. to stare death in the white of the eye)
hvitevarer - kitchen appliances such as fridge, stove and also washingmachines, tumbler dryer
hvit løgn - a small or harmless lie in order to be polite or avoid hurting someones feelings (lit. a white lie)

POLISH
bialy kruk - something rare (lit. a white raven)
w bialy dzien - in broad daylight (lit. in a white day)
do bialego rana - until the white dawn
doprowadzic kogos do bialej goraczki - to make someone angry (lit. to lead someone into a white fever)
biale szalenstwo - to ski (lit. white madness)

POLISH
biały tydzień - The week after the first communion when children go to church (lit. white week)

PORTUGUESE
deu um branco -to be unable to rememer (lit. white happened)
passar em brancas nuvens - to go by unnoticed (lit. to pass by in white clouds)
passar a noite em branco - to have a sleepless night (lit. to pass a night in white)
passar em branco - to go through a special day with celebrations (lit. to pass in white)
branquear dinheiro - to launder money (lit. to whiten money)
ficar branco como a cal - to be very pale (lit. to be white as lime)

ROMANIAN
cusut cu ata alba - obviously fake (lit. sewn with white thread)
a semna în alb - to grant full trust (lit. to sign in white)
scor alb - a score of zero (lit. a white score)
versuri albe - lyrics without rhyme (lit. white lyrics)
noapte alba - a sleepless night (lit. a white night)
arma alba - an object with a blade that can be used as a weapon (lit. white weapon)
a scoate cuiva peri albi - to annoy someone to exasperation (lit. to give someone white hair)
nici alba, nici neagra - undecided, ambiguous (lit. neither white nor black)
a deosebi albul de negru - to differentiate right from wrong (lit. to differentiate white from black)
a face albul negru - to falsify, misrepresent (lit. to make white black)
ba e alba, ba e neagra - to be contradictory, to be keep changing (lit. to be now white, now black)
a economisi bani albi pentru zile negre - to save for a rainy day (lit. to save white money for black days)
alb ca varul - very pale (lit. white as lime)

SPANISH
pasar una noche en blanco - to have a sleepless night (lit. to spend a night in white)
decir que lo blanco es negro - to say something untrue (lit. to say that white is black)
poner los ojos en blanco - to roll your eyes in disbelief/disapproval (lit. to put the eyes in white)
poner la mente en blanco - to clear your mind of thoughts (lit. to put your mind in white)
blanquear dinero - to launder money (lit. to whiten money)
ser más blanco que la leche - to be very white (lit. whiter than milk)
quedarse en blanco - to forget something one should remember (lit. to stay in white)
votar en blanco - to return a blank ballot (lit. to vote in white)
tirar al blanco - to shoot at the target (lit. to shoot at the white)
estar sin blanca - to be broke (lit. to be without white)
tener carta blanca - to have full authorisation or permission (lit. to have white card)
cachetada con guante blanco - responding to aggression in an elegant and non-violent manner (lit. a slap in the face with a white glove)
un mirlo blanco - a rare thing (lit. a white blackbird)
trata de blancas - human trafficking (lit. the trade of whites)
no distinguir lo blanco de lo negro - to not distinguish right from wrong (lit. to not distinguish white from black)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
ceannach geal an uair thig an sneachd - a bribe (lit. a white present when the snow comes)
chan 'eil e geal da - he is not fond of him (lit. he has no white for him)

SWEDISH
han jobbar vitt - to pay taxes (lit. to work white)
vit vecka - a week without any alchohol (lit. white week)

TURKISH
ak akce kara gun icindir - white money for a black day (lit. savings for a rainy day)

WELSH
ar gefn ei geffyl gwyn - full of mischief (lit. on the back of his white horse)

ARCHAIC CZECH
obléci bílý kabát - to put on the white coat  (lit. join the army)

ENGLISH
beet red - dark red (usuall used to describe a face)
to catch someone red-handed - to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or illegal
to be shown the red card - to be dismissed from a job
to be in the red - to be in debt
to see red - to be very angry
red tape - official or bureaucratic tasks
a redneck - an ignorant, insensitive type
a red eye flight- an airplane flight that takes off after midnight
to roll out the red carpet - to greet a person with great respect, to give a big welcome
red herring - a clue or piece of information which is or intends to be misleading or distracting
red rag to a bull - a deliberate provocation that is certain to bring about an adverse reaction
to see the red light - to recognize approaching danger
red hot - in high demand, something that everybody wants
red flag -a sign that something that is not right, a warning sign
to paint the town red- to go out and have a good time partying

FRENCH
agiter le chiffon rouge - to start a conversation about a tricky subject (lit. to wave the red tea towel)
alerte rouge - readiness for emergency (lit. red alert)
du gros rouge - some bad quality red wine (lit. some big red)
être dans le rouge - an overdraft (lit. to be in the red)
être la lanterne rouge - to be the last one (lit. to be the red lantern)
être rouge de colère - to be very angry (lit. to be red with anger)
être sur liste rouge - a phone number that can’t be found on the directory (lit. to be on the red list)
fil rouge - a common theme (lit. red yarn)
la planète rouge - planet Mars (lit. the red planet)
le téléphone rouge - the telephone line between two heads of state (lit. the red telephone)
manger du pain rouge - to live off of murders (lit. to eat some red bread)
passer au rouge - to jump the lights (lit. to go on red)
rouge de confusion - to be embarrassed (lit. red with confusion)
se fâcher tout rouge - to get really crossed with somebody (lit. to get angry all red)
sortir du rouge - to recover from an overdraft (lit. to get out of the red)
tirer à boulets rouges - to assail (lit. to shoot red cannonball)
un rouge - a communist (lit. a red)
voir rouge - to have an angry outburst (lit. to see red)
le rouquin - red wine with a lot of body (lit. a red-haired one)
être rouge comme une tomate - to blush from embarrassment (lit. to be as red as a tomato)

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
crven kao rak - to be very angry (lit. to be red like a crab)
biti rumen kao ruža/jabuka - to redden, to blush (lit. to be as read as rose/apple)

CATALAN
estar/posar-se vermell com un tomàquet - to be very red, to redden; to blush; (lit. to be/becom red like a tomato)

DUTCH
geen rode cent hebben - to be broke (lit. to not have a red cent)
rood aanlopen van schaamte - to blush with shame (lit. to stain red with shame)

ESTONIAN
puust ja punaseks tegema - to make something really clear (lit. to make something out of wood and paint it red)

GERMAN
auf der roten Liste stehen - to be endangered (lit. to stand on the red list)
heute rot, morgen tot - here today, gone tomorrow (lit. today red, tomorrow dead)
rot sehen - to be very angry, in a rage (lit. to see red)
rot werden - to blush (lit. to get red)

GREEK
κοκκινίζω από τον θυμό - to get very angry (lit. to redden from anger)
κόκκινος-η σαν παντζάρι - to blush (lit. to turn beet red)
βλέπω κόκκινα - to be angry, in a rage (lit. to see red)

IRISH
deargbhréag - a blatant, bald-faced lie (lit. a red lie)
dearg-ghráin - deep-seated or intense hatred (lit. red hatred)
deargiomaíocht - cut-throat competition (lit. red rivalry)
gudh dearg - fury (lit. red rage)
brothall dearg - intense heat of day (lit. red swelter)

HUNGARIAN
majd ha piros hó esik - when red snow falls (lit. never)

ITALIAN
diventare rosso in viso - to become embarrassed (lit. to turn red in the face)
al calor rosso - to be so hot that it turns red (lit. to the red heat)
rosso come un peperone - to blush (lit. red like a pepper)
bandiera rossa - a warning signal, a sign that something’s wrong (lit. a red flag) 
linea rossa - a hotline (lit. a red line)
una toga rossa - a magistrate accused of being left-wing biased by a conservative (lit. a red toga)
stendere il tappeto rosso - to give a big welcome, to roll out the red carpet
una pellicola rossa - an adult erotic film (lit. a red movie)
camicie rosse - the volunteers who followed Giuseppe Garibaldi to southern Italy durino the Italian Unification (lit. red shirts)
allarme rosso - a serious warning of danger (lit. a red alert)
dare il disco rosso - give something to someone (lit. Ggve the red disk)
rosso d'uovo - egg yolk (lit. red of the egg)
vedere roso - to get very angry (lit. to see red)
quartiere a luci rosse - a brothels district (lit. red-lighted district)

LITHUANIAN
visas raudonas kaip vežys
- to blush (lit. to be red as a lobster)
išraudes kaip burokas - to blush (lit. to be red as a beetroot)

NORWEGIAN
rosenrødt - picture perfect (lit. rose red)
rødøyd - to cry and be upset (lit. red-eyed)
rødglødende - extremely passionate (lit. glowing in red). It can also describe a level of activity: if one's phone is 'glowing in red', it is ringing a lot.
rød tråd (historien må ha en rød tråd) - to see something as a whole, the story is bound together by something

POLISH
czerwony jak burak - to blush (lit. to bered as a beetroot)
czerwienić się - to blush (lit. to redden)

PORTUGUESE
vermelho de raiva - very angry (lit. red with anger)
vermelho vivo - very bright red (lit. red 'alive')
exército vermelho - Soviet army (lit. red army)

ROMANIAN
a vedea în fața ochilor tăi- to be overcome with rage (lit. to see red in front of one's eyes)
rosie - a tomato (lit. red)
roșu ca racul fiert - red with shame (lit. as red as boiled crayfish)
firul roșu - a recurring theme (lit. the red thread)
roșu - a communist advocate/follower (lit. a red)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
dearg - to make an impression, to plough (lit. to redden)
cha d'fhuair sinn deargadh - to not even get one (e.g. a fish) (lit. to not get a reddening)
deargan-doirionn - a nebula (lit. a red stain)
cha dearg mi air - to not be able to manage it (lit. to be unable to make it red)
dearg-amadan - a complete fool (lit. a red fool)
dearg-namhaid - a sworn enemy (lit. a red enemy)
dearg—mheirleach - a notorious thief (lit. a red thief)

SPANISH
estar al rojo vivo - to be at fever pitch (lit. to be at vivid red)
más rojo que un pimiento - very red (lit. redder than a red pepper)
más vale una vez colorado que cien amarillo - better to get angry once and strongly (lit. better once red than one hundred times yellow)
y colorín colorado, este cuento se ha acabado - and that is the end of the story) (lit. and bright red, this story has ended)
más listo que los ratones colorado - very cunning (lit. more clever than red mice)
atardecer rojo, mañana gris - when the sunset is red, the sky dawns with clouds (lit. red sunset, gray morning)
sonrojarse - to blush (lit. to become red)
ponerse rojo como un tomate - to blush (lit. to redden as a tomato)

SLOVENIAN
rdeč kot kuhan rak - to blush (lit. to be red like a cooked crab) 

SWEDISH
röda värden - close to the limit (lit. red values)
inte ett rött öre - completely broke (lit. not a red penny)
röd dag - a holiday (lit. a red day)

WELSH
ffilm coch - a film with erotic content (lit. a red film)

ENGLISH
to be green - to be inexperienced
to give sb. or sth. the green light - to give permission/to approve
to be green with envy - to be very jealous
to have green fingers/a green thumb  - to be skillful in the garden
green belt - an area of fields and trees around a town
green room - the common waiting room back stage for performers
green pass - Covid-19 vaccination certificate
the grass is always greener on the other side - the things a person lacks seem more appealing than the things he or she has

FRENCH
un vert - an ecologist (lit. a green)
un vieillard encore vert - an old man who is still lively (lit. an old man still green)
une verte réprimande - a reprimand (lit. a green reprimand)
une volée de bois vert - a violent thrashing (lit. a thrashing of green wood)
avoir le nombril vert - to be young and immature (lit. to have a green navel)
avoir le pouce vert/avoir la main verte - to be gifted taking care of plants (lit. o have a green thumb/hand)
en voir des vertes et des pas mûres - to be a hard one to digest (lit. to see some green and some not ripe)
donner le feu vert - to give authorisation (lit. to give a green light)
envoyer quelqu’un au diable vert - to get rid of someone by sending him or her far away (lit. to send someone to the green devil)
être vert de jalousie - to be very jealous (lit. to be green with jealousy)
être vert de peur - to be very scared (lit. to be green with scare)
être vert de rage - to be very angry (lit. to be green with rage)
le billet vert - the dollar banknote (lit. the green banknote)
petits hommes verts - aliens (lit. the little green men)
prendre quelqu’un sans vert - to catch somebody off-guard (lit. to take someone without green)
se mettre au vert - to go and rest in the countryside (lit. to get into green)
son vert - sound with a high-pitched tone (lit. his/hers green)
langue verte - slang (lit. green language)
être la fin des haricots verts - to be all over (lit. to be the end of the green beans) 
chou vert et vert chou - six of something, a half-dozen of something else; to be exactly the same thing) (lit. cabbage green and green cabbage) 
la fée verte - absinthe (lit. the green fairy) 
les bas verts - prostitutes (lit. green stockings) 

ALBANIAN
ndihesh jeshil - to feel bad (lit. to feel green)

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
pozelenio od muke - to be angry (lit. to turn green with distress)
dati zeleno svjetlo - give green light (lit. to give somebody permission to do something)
biti zelen kao zelena trava - to be very/too green (lit. to be green as green grass)

BULGARIAN
да позеленее от яд/завист - to turn red with anger (lit. to turn green with anger)

CZECH
šedá je teorie a zelený je strom života - grey is the theory and green is the tree of life (adapted quotation by J.W Goethe:  “All theory is grey, my friend. But forever green is the tree of life.”)

DANISH
på den grønne gren - to do well, to be fortunate (lit. to be on the green branch)
at være grøn af misundelse - to be very envious (lit. to be green from envy)
skide grønne grise - to be very nervous (lit. to defecate green pigs)
ha gröna fingrar - to be gifted taking care of plants (lit. to have green fingers)
det grønne bord - a table used for an examination (lit. the green table)
håbet er lysegrønt - stay hopeful even when it looks bleak (lit. hope is light green)

DUTCH
zich groen en geel ergeren - to be very irritated (lit. to be irritated green and yellow)
groen van jaloezie zien - to be very jealous (lit. to see green from jealousy)
zo groen als gras zijn - to be naive, oblivious or never having been kissed (lit. ato be s green as grass)
groen achter de oren - to be young and inexperienced (lit. to be green behind the ears)

ESTONIAN
körvade tagant roheline - to be naive, immature (lit. green-eared)

FINNISH
olla kateudesta vihreä - to be very jealous (lit. to be green with jealousy)

GERMAN
sich grün und blau ärgern - to be really mad (lit. to become green and blue from anger)
jemanden grün und blau schlagen - to beat someone up violently (lit. to beat someone green and blue)
ach du grüne Neune! - Oh my God!; an exclamation of surprise, fear or wonder (lit. Oh, you green nine!)
die grüne Fee - absinth (lit. the green fairy)
noch grün hinter den Ohren sein - to be inexperienced (lit. to still be green behind the ears)
das Gleiche in grün - the same thing with a different appearance (lit. the same in green)
er ist mir nicht grün - to seem strange, to seem green to someone (lit. to be green to somebody)
er wird nie auf einen grünen Zweig kommen - to never get anywhere (lit. to never get onto a green twig)
ins Grüne fahren - to take a ride into the countryside (lit. to ride into the green)
Grün vor Stolz - to be very proud (used only in old fairy tales) (lit. to be green with pride)
Grün vor Neid - to be very envious (lit. to be green with envy)
einen grünen Daumen haben - to be gifted taking care of plants (lit. to have a green thumb)

HUNGARIAN
zöldfülű - inexperienced (lit. to have green ears)

IRISH
is glas iad na cnoic í fhad uainn - things that are not ours, not close to us, always seem better (lit. the hills far away are green)

ITALIAN
essere al verde - to have no money (lit. to be at the green)
verde di bile - to get angry (lit. to be green as bile)
verde dalla rabbia - to be very angry (lit. to be green from rage)
il tavolo verde - the gaming table in a casino (lit. the green table)
un numero verde - a call-free number (lit. a green phone number)
gli anni verdi - the best of times (lit. the green years)
verde età - youth (lit. green age)
essere verde dall’invidia - to be very envious (lit. to be green from envy)
avere il pollice verde - to be good at cultivating plants and flowers (lit. to have the green thumb)
dare il disco verde - to give way to something (lit. to give the green disk)
verde speranza - refers to green as a colour of hope; everytime someones uses it something good may happen (lit. green hope)

LITHUANIAN
žali obuoliai, žalios uogos, žalia mesa, vyras
- raw/unboiled fruits, berries, meat, milk (lit. green apples, green strawberries, green meat, green milk)
žalias kailis - undone fur (lit. a green fur)
žalias jaunuolis - an unexperienced person (lit. a green youngster)
žalia akyse - to feel sick (lit. green in the eyes)
žalias pienas - unboiled milk (lit. green milk)
žalia šviesa - a moonlight (lit. a green light)
zâna verde - absinthe (lit. green fairy)

NORWEGIAN
grønnskolling - a completely inexperienced person (lit. a greenhead)
grønne lunger - a park in an urban area (lit. green lungs)
vaske munnen med grønnsåpe - to wash someone's mouth out with soap, usually children (lit. to wash someone's mouth with green soap)
sitte på den grønne gren - to be successful, to do well by oneself
grønn av misunnelse - to be green with envy
grønne fingre - to have a green thumb

POLISH
nie miec zielonego pojecia - to have no knowledge at all about something (lit. not to have a green idea)
Zielone Swiatki - Pentecost (lit. Green Festival)
poslac na zielona trawke - to fire someone from work (lit. to send onto green grass)
byc zielonym z zazdrosci - to be very envious (lit. to be green with envy)
zielony jak szczypiorek na wiosnę - totally inexperienced (lit. to be as green as chive in the spring)

PORTUGUESE
ficar verde de ciúme/inveja - to be very jealous (lit. to become green of jealousy)
ficar verde de raiva - to become furious (lit. to become green with rage)
verdes anos - adolescence (lit. green years)

ROMANIAN
a fi verde de ciuda - to be rancourous, spiteful (lit. to be green from rancour)
a îndruga verzi si uscate - to say useless things (lit. to mumble greens and dried-up things)
a spune verde în fata - to say something bluntly (lit. to say something green to the face)
verde de Paris - insecticide from copper arsenite and acetate (lit. green of Paris)
a visa (a spune) cai verzi pe pereti - to imagine or say nconceivable things to dream (lit. to say green horses on walls)
adio si un praz verde - an expression of indifference to the addresse (lit. farewell and a green onion (scallion))
a dormi pe iarba verde - to sleep outdoors (lit. to sleep in green air)
a vedea stele verzi - to be dizzy (e.g. after hitting one's head) (lit. to see green stars)
verde - plainly, openly (lit. green)
burta verde - an itinerant peddler (lit. green-belly)
unda verde - permission (lit. a green wave)

SPANISH
darse un verde de algo - to have one's fill of something (lit. to tuck into one’s food)
ser más raro que un perro verde - to be odd, strange (lit. to be stranger than a green dog)
un chiste verde - a dirty joke (lit. a green joke)
poner verde a alguien - to criticize someone (lit. to put someone green)
estar muy verde - to be a work in progress/to be too inexperienced (lit. to be very green)
un viejo verde - a lecherous, a dirty old man (lit. a green old man)
estar verde de envidia - to be very envious (lit. to be green from envy)
¡A buenas horas, mangas verdes! - too little, too late! (lit. at the right time, green sleeves!)

SLOVENIAN
biti zelen - to be inexperienced (lit. to be green)
biti zelen od zavisti - to burst with envy (lit. to be green from envy)

SWEDISH
vara på grön kvist  - as rich as green (lit. wealthy)
det är grönt - to be safe to proceed, the coast is clear (lit. it is green)
komma på grön kvist - to improve one's finances (lit. to get on a green branch)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
uaineachan - a wan, pallid-looking person (lit. a green person)
is uaine feur na faiche as fàsaiche - to do something unique or pioneering can be brilliant (lit. green is the colour of the least trodden field)

TURKISH
yesillenmek - to get fresh or to molest (lit. to turn green)

ENGLISH
to be yellow-bellied - to be extremely timid, cowardly
a yellow streak - cowardice in character

FRENCH
être jaune de jalousie - to be extremely jealous (lit. to be yellow with jealousy)
être jaune - a fearful sportsman/woman (lit. to be yellow)
être peint en jaune - to be cheated on by a spouse (lit. to be painted in yellow)
fièvre jaune - yellow fever (lit. yellow fever)
franchir la ligne jaune - to go too far (lit. to cross the yellow line)
rire jaune - a sour laughter (lit. yellow laugh)
un jaune - a strikebreaker (lit. a yellow)
un petit jaune - a pastis with some water (lit. a small yellow)
voir jaune - to be pessimistic (lit. to see something yellow) 

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
biti žut kao krpa - to be nauseous (lit. to be yellow as cloth)
žuta minuta - short period of time when someone behaves in an inexplicable negative way (lit. yellow minute)

DANISH
et barn på gule plader - a step-child (lit. a child with yellow licence plates)

FINNISH
keltanokka - a beginner, a rookie (lit. yellow-beaked)

HUNGARIAN
a sárga földig leissza magát - to be really drunk (lit. to drink down to the yellow earth)
a sárga lesz az irigységtől - to be very jealous about something (lit. to become yellow from envy)

GERMAN
gelb vor Eifersucht werden - to be very jealous (lit. to become yellow with jealousy)
Gelb vor Neid sein - to be very envious (lit. to be yellow with envy)
das Gelbe vom Ei - a good thing (lit. the yellow of the egg)

GREEK
κίτρινος-η σαν κερί - to be afraid, worried (lit. to be yellow as a candle)

ITALIAN
un (libro) giallo - a thriller or crime/police novel (lit. a yellow book)
giallo d'invidia - very envious (lit. yellow with envy)
un giallo - an unsolved mystery (lit. a yellow)
giallo come la bile - when someone is really full of displeasure and rancor (lit. yellow as bilis)

LITHUANIAN
geltonas liežuvis
- to be sick (lit. a yellow tongue)

NORWEGIAN
slå noen gul og blå - to beat someone up badly (lit. to beat someone yellow and blue)

POLISH
zóltodziób - an inexperienced person, a rookie (lit. a yellow beak)
miec zólte papiery - to be insane (lit. to have yellow papers)

PORTUGUESE
me ferrei de verde e amarelo! - to be in trouble (lit. to be screwed in green and yellow)
sorriso amarelo - a forced, insincere smile (lit. a yellow smile)

ROMANIAN
a se îngalbeni de frica - to become visibly afraid (lit. to become yellow with fear)
a flutura stegulete galbene - to blather (lit. to stream little yellow flags)
galben ca turta de ceara - to be very pale (lit. to be as yellow as wax cake)
a râde/surâde galben -to laugh or smile in a forced, insincere way (lit. to laugh or smile yellow)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
buidheach - jaundice (lit.yellowness)

SPANISH
prensa amarilla - a tabloid; an unreliable media outlet (lit.yellow press )
amarillismo - sensational journalism; journalism that tries to excite the audience (lit. yellowness)

SWEDISH
gul och blå
- yellow and blue (lit. black and blue)

TURKISH
sararip solmak - looking sad or unwell (lit. getting yellow and withered)

ENGLISH
blue pencil - to censor
blue-eyed boy - a boy who has been singled out for special favours by someone in authority
bolt from the blue - to make a huge but vain effort to win a person's agreement
to have the blues - to be sad or depressed
the boys in blue - the police
once in a blue moon - very rarely
blue in the face - to make a huge but vain effort to win a person's agreement
out of the blue - unexpectedly
blue-blooded - a person of noble birth
blue chip - a company or share that has with a national reputation for quality, reliability and the ability to operate profitably in good times and bad
blue stocking - an intellectual or literary woman
to be blue with cold - to be extremely cold

FRENCH
une peur bleue - to be scared to death (lit. to have a blue fright)
avoir le sang bleu - to belong to the aristocracy (lit. to have blue blood)
avoir les bleus - to be sad, gloomy (lit. to have the blues)
avoir un bleu to have a bruise (lit. to have a blue) 
avoir un peur bleue - to be very scared; scared to death (lit. to have a blue fear)
casque bleu - a soldier (lit. a blue helmet)
col bleu - a worker (lit. a blue collar)
colère bleue - an angry outburst (lit. a blue fit of anger)
conte bleu - a lie (lit. a blue tale)
cordon bleu - a very good cook (lit. a blue escalope)
détenir le ruban bleu - to be in the first place (lit. to own the blue ribbon)
donner son bleu à quelqu’un - to fire someone (lit. to give one’s blue to someone)
en être tout bleu ou en rester bleu - to be dumbfounded (lit. to be all blue or to be blue from it)
être blanc-bleu - to have an untouched reputation (lit. to be white-blue)
être bleu de quelqu’un (expression belge) - to be crazy in love (lit. to be blue of somebody)
chocolat bleu pâle (expression belge) - to be in a bad shape, to feel sick (lit. white-blue chocolate)
être dans le bleu - to be uncertain (lit. to be in the blue)
être fleur bleue - to be romatic; to be naïve (lit. to be a blue flower) 
faire le bleu - to skip class (lit. to do the blue)
la grande bleue - the Mediterranean sea (lit. the big blue)
la planète bleue - the planet Earth (lit. the blue planet)
l’heure bleue - the moment before dawn (lit. the blue hour)
l’or bleu - in reference to the sea that represents a source of wealth (lit. the blue gold)
menton bleu - a shaved chin showing that the beard must be very black (lit. blue chin)
papier bleu - a bailif act (lit. blue paper)
passer au bleu - to forget intentionnaly (lit. to move on to the blue)
steak bleu - a grilled steak that is raw inside (lit. blue steak)
un bas-bleu - a scholar woman (lit. blue stockings)
un bleu an inexperienced person, a rookie (lit. a blue) 
un petit bleu - a telegram (lit. a small blue)
en être bleu - to be in the blue (lit. struck dumb)
sacré bleu - an expression of emotion, like "my God!" (lit. sacred blue!) 
ne voir qu'en bleu - to be in the dark, uninformed (lit. to see nothing but blue) 
fureur bleue - extreme anger (lit. blue fury) 

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
poplaviti od bola - to be in a lot of pain (lit. got blue by pain)
plavac/ci - police office (lit. the blue one/s)

CZECH
modré ponde - blue Monday (lit. a Monday taken as holiday after the weekend)
dát/snést nekomu modré z nebe - to give/bring someone everything they could want (lit. to give/bring someone the blue from the sky)
je to to samé v blede modrém - to be essentially the same thing (lit. to be the same in light blue)

DANISH
at være blåøjet - to be naïve (lit. to be blue-eyed)
blå bog - a social register or a school yearbook (lit. a blue book)
blå mandag - an unauthorized day off from work or a celebratory day after church confirmation (lit. a blue Monday)
blåstemple - to designate as acceptable or high-quality (lit. to stamp with blue ink)

DUTCH
een blauwtje lopen - to be turned down when asking for a date (lit. to walk a blue)
een blauwe maandag - a short period of time (lit. a blue Monday)
zich blauw betalen - to pay a lot of money (lit. to pay yourself blue)
blaubekken - to feel extremely cold (lit. to get a blue mouth)
iemand bont en blauw slaan - to bruise someone by beating them (lit. to beat someone bright and blue)
iets blauw-blauw laten - to leave something as it is (lit. to leave something blue-blue)

ESTONIAN
sinisilmne - naïve or childish (lit. blue-eyed)

FINNISH
sinisilmäinen - naïve or childish (lit. blue-eyed)

GERMAN
das Blaue vom Himmel herunter lügen - to lie constantly (lit. to lie the blue out of the sky)
sich grün und blau ärgern - to be very angry (lit. to anger oneself green and blue)
blau machen - to take time off (lit. to make blue)
mit einem blauen Auge davonkommen - to get off unscathed (lit. to get away with a blue eye)
die blaue Stunde - the time before dusk/dawn (lit. the blue hour)
blau sein - to be drunk or stoned (lit. to be blue)
ein blaues Wunder erleben - to get a real shock/ nasty surprise (lit. to experience a blue wonder)
blauäugig sein - to be naïve, gullible (lit. to be blue-eyed)
ein blaues Auge haben - to have a bruised eye (lit. to have a blue eye)
einen blauen Fleck haben - to have a bruise (lit. to have a blue bruise)
jemandem das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen - to make big promises (lit. to promise the blue out of the sky)
blaue Bohnen - bullets (lit. blue beans)
auf blauen Dunst hin - without exact knowledge on a future undertaking (lit. in a blue haze)
jemandem blauen Dunst vormachen - to mislead/deceive someone (lit. to show someone blue haze)
ins Blaue fahren - to drive without having a specific destination (lit. to drive into the blue)
ins Blaue hinein - to make a complete guess (lit. to fall into the blue)
aus dem Blau heraus - unexpectedly; out of nowhere (lit. out of the blue)

GREEK
ένα μπλε - a bruise (lit. a blue)
γίνομαι μπλε - to be/get very cold (lit. to turn blue)

IRISH
fear gorm - a black man (lit. a blue man)

ITALIAN
fifa blu - to be terribly afraid (lit. blue funk)
avere il sangue blu - to be noble (lit. to have blue blood)
il principe azzurro - Prince Charming (lit. a blue prince)

LITHUANIAN
melyni pirštai
- frozen fingers (lit. blue fingers)
pameles iš pykcio - to be very angry (lit. blue from the anger)

NORWEGIAN
bare blåbær - to be easy (lit. to do only blueberries)
blåmandag - a bad day after a good weekend (lit. a blue Monday)
blåøyd - naïve (lit. blue-eyed)
blåfrossen - to be blue-skinned from the cold (lit. blue frozen)
blåveis / blått øye - a bruised eye (lit. a blue eye)
blålys - police cars (lit. blue lights)
den blå timen - the time before dusk or dawn especially during winter (lit. the blue hour)

POLISH
myslec o niebieskich migdalach - to daydream (lit. to think about blue almonds)

PORTUGUESE
está tudo azul - used when everything is good (lit. everything is blue)

ROMANIAN
baiat cu ochi albastri - a (communist) secret service agent (lit. a blue-eyed boy)
inima-albastra - melancholy (lit. blue heart)
barba-albastra - a man who changes lover frequently (lit. a blue beard)
situatia e cam albastra - a slightly unpleasant situation(lit. things are blue)
haine albastre - townsman's clothes (lit. blue clothes)
a cânta de inima albastra - to sing a love song (lit. to sing of blue heart)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
each gorm
- a dark-grey (lit. a blue horse horse)

SPANISH
un principe azul - Prince Charming (lit. a blue prince)

SLOVENIAN
moder mož/žena - wise man/woman (lit. blue man/woman)

SWEDISH
I det blå - far from reality (lit. in the blue)
ljuga sig blå - to lie very much (lit. to lie yourself blue)
att skita i det blå skåpet - to go too far, make a fool of yourself (lit. to defecate in the blue cabinet)
blåögd - naïve (lit. blue-eyed)
Farbror Blå - the police (lit. Uncle Blue)

WELSH
yng nglas y dydd - early morning (lit. in the blue of the day)
gorau glas
- to do one’s best (lit. ‘blue best’)
glas wen - a smile that is insincere and mocking (lit. a blue smile)
ei orau glas - as busy as one can be (lit. one's blue best)

TURKISH
mavi boncuk dagitmak - to show affection to several people making each believe they are the one (lit. to disperse blue beads)

ENGLISH
browned off - to be bored, annoyed at something
brown nose - to try too hard to please someone in a way that other people find unpleasant:

FRENCH
être brun au jeu - to be lucky (lit. to be brown at games)
être chocolat - to be flabbergasted finding out that one has been tricked (lit. to be chocolate)
faire le chocolat - to pretend to be naive (lit. to make chocolate)
ouvrage marron - a booked printed illegally (lit. a brown book)
une langue brune - a bootlicker (lit. a brown tongue)
faire quelqu'un marron - to cheat on someone (lit. to make someone brown) 
être marron - to be cheated, fooled (lit. to be brown) 
un médecin marron - a bad/poorly educated/fake doctor (quack) (lit. a brown doctor) 
un avocat marron - a crooked lawyer (lit. a brown lawyer)
la peste brune - used to talk about Nazism as an infectious and contagious illness such as a plague, refering to the brownshirts. Nowadays also used to speak about neo-Nazism, fascism and other extreme right-wing political movements (lit. the brown plague)

DUTCH
een bruin café - a old-fashioned wood panelled cafe/pub (lit. a brown café)
ze bruin bakken - to brag or exaggerate (lit. to bake them brown)

GERMAN
eine braune Gesinnung haben - to have an extreme right-wing political point of view (lit. to have a brown disposition)

NORWEGIAN
brunvarer
 - a small electrical appliance (lit. a brown product)

PORTUGUESE
imprensa marrom - disreputable press (lit. the brown press)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
ciar - dusk, gloominess (lit. dark brown)

SPANISH
esto pasa de castaño a oscuro - to be beyond a joke (lit. this goes beyond dark brown)
comerse un marrón - to be given unfair work or blame (lit. to eat a brown)

PORTUGUESE
imprensa marrom - the disreputable/tabloid press (lit. the brown press)

ENGLISH
to be purple of cold - to be extremely cold

FRENCH
être violet de colère - to be angry, in a rage (lit.to be purple of anger)

DUTCH
paars van de kou zien - extremely cold (lit. purple from the cold)

SPANISH
ponerse morado - to be full (of food) (lit. to become purple)
un ojo morado - a bruised eye (lit. a purple eye)

POLISH
purpurowy na twarzy - to be furious (lit. to be purple in the face)

PORTUGUESE
ficar roxo de frio - to feel very cold (lit. to turn purple with cold)
ficar roxo de raiva - to become enraged (lit. to turn purple with rage)

ROMANIAN
vânata
- eggplant / aubergine (lit. blue-purple)
a fi vânat - to be bruised (lit. to be purple)

ENGLISH
to be tickled pink - to be very pleased and appreciative
with rose-tinted spectacles - having an unrealistic view

FRENCH
voir des éléphants roses - to be high, to hallucinate (lit. to see pink elephants)
ce n’est pas tout rose - not all is as nice as it seems (lit. not all is pink )
téléphone rose - an erotic line (lit. the pink telephone)
voir tout en rose - to be optimistic (lit. to see everything in pink)

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
gledati svijet ružičastim naočalama - to be optimistic (sometimes naive) about everything (lit. to view the world in pink glasses)

CZECH
vyspat se do ružova - to sleep oneself into the pink (lit. have had a good night’s sleep) 
nosit ružové brýle - to think that things are more pleasant than they really are (lit.  look at things with rose-coloured glasses)

DANISH
svæve på en lyserød - to be in love (lit. to float on a pink cloud)

DUTCH
op een roze wolkje zitten
- to be (annoyingly) happy in love (lit. to sit on a little pink cloud)
de toekomst ziet er rooskleurig uit - used when future looks good, hopeful (lit. the future looks pink)

ESTONIAN
läbi roosade prillide - to have unrealistic ideas (lit. to see through pink glasses)

GERMAN
die rosarote Brille aufsetzen - to have a positive (although perhaps unrealistic or naive) view (lit. to put on rose-coloured glasses)

ITALIAN
stampa rosa - celebrity/gossip magazines (lit. pink press)
cronaca rosa - gossip column (lit. pink column)
foglio rosa - a temporary driver's licence (lit. a pink sheet)
letteratura rosa - romantic fiction (lit. pink literature)

LITHUANIAN
žiureti pro rožinius akinius 
- to be naive (lit. to look through the pink glasses)

POLISH
patrzeć przez różowe okulary - to have an unrealistic and coloured view (lit. to look throught a ping glasses)

PORTUGUESE
revistas cor-de-rosa - celebrity/gossip magazines (lit. pink magazines)

ROMANIAN
a se face roșu de mânie - to become furious (lit. to turn pink with rage)
a vedea viața în roz - to see the life in pink/rose colours (lit. to be optimistic)
a fi negru de supărare- to sulk, to be visibly angry (lit. to be black with anger)
scrie negru pe alb - to be clearly written, established, fixed (lit. to be written black on white)
n-o fi dracul atât de negru - things are not that bad (lit. the devil is not that black)
a fi negru în cerul gurii - to be cruel (lit. to have a black palate)
mizerie neagră - dire poverty (lit. black misery)
inimă neagră- a spade (in playing cards) (lit. a black heart)
bubă-neagră - anthrax (lit. a black ulcer)
a fi negru la suflet - to be evil (lit. to be black in the soul)
pădure neagră - a deep, dark forest (lit. a black forest)
în negru - in mourning (lit. in black)
cât negru sub unghile - only a little bit, almost nothing (lit. as much as black under the fingernail)
a vedea totul în negru- to be pessimistic (lit. to see everything in black)
a face zile negre - to bother, irritate (lit. to make black days for someone)
pâine neagră - brown bread (lit. black bread)
bani negri - money gained dishonestly (black money)

SPANISH
la prensa rosa - celebrity gossip press, glossy magazines (lit. the pink press)
pintarlo de color rosa - to gild the lily, overdo it (lit. to paint it pink)

SLOVENIAN
ni vse rožnato
- not everything is that good (lit. not everything is pink)

SWEDISH
sväva på rosa moln - to be in love (lit. to float on pink clouds)

TURKISH
pembe yalan - a white lie (lit. a pink lie)

ENGLISH
grey area - a concept or topic that is not clearly defined or that exists somewhere between two extreme positions

FRENCH
être gris - to be drunk (lit. to be grey)
avaleur de pois gris - to be greedy, voracious (lit. someone who swallows grey peas)
bois gris - fuelwood
du gris - some ordinary tobacco (lit. some grey)
eminence grise - the occult advisor of a man in power (lit. a grey eminence)
en voir de grises - to have great difficulties facing something (lit. to see some grey ones)
faire grise mine à quelqu’un - to treat someone with cold indifference (lit. to pull a grey face at somebody)
il fait gris - cold and grey weather (lit. the weather is grey)
matière grise - the brain (lit. grey matter)
or gris - white gold (lit. grey gold)
un petit gris - a kind of fungus or a kind of snail (lit. a small grey)
vie grise - a monotonous life (lit. a grey life)

CZECH
Šedá je teorie a zelený je strom života - grey is the theory, and green is the tree of life (adapted quotation by J.W Goethe:  “All theory is grey, my friend. But forever green is the tree of life.”)

DANISH
fyret på gråt papir - to be fired immediately for a cause (lit. fired on grey paper)
gråzone - something without a clear rule or answer (lit. gray area)

DUTCH
zijn grijze cellen gebruiken- to use your brain (lit. to use your grey cells)
een liedje grijs draaien - to overplay a song (lit. turning a song grey)

GERMAN
nachts sind alle Katzen schwarz - to make no difference (under certain circumstances) (lit. at night all cats are grey)

HUNGARIAN
szürke egér - someone shy, small (lit. a grey mouse)

NORWEGIAN
kommunegrå - dull, depressing (lit. a grey municipality)
gråværsdag - overcast or rainy (lit. a grey weather day)
grå musdescribes someone as boring, uninteresting

POLISH
szara strefa - economic activity including tax evasion (lit. grey sphere)
na szarym koncu - at the tail end (lit. at the grey end)
szary cztowiek - the man on the street (lit. grey person)
szara rzeczywistość - grey reality (lit. sad reality)

SCOTTISH GAELIC
liath - to get moldy (lit. to turn grey)

SPANISH
verlo todo gris - to see everything grey (lit. to see things in a negative way)

SWEDISH
börja få gråa hår - to wait too long for something (lit. to start getting grey hair)
gråsosse - a conservative member of the Socialist party lacking ideals (lit. a grey social democrat)

ENGLISH
born with a silver spoon in one's mouth - to be born into a rich family
silver screen - the cinema
a golden opportunity - the perfect chance
a golden handshake - a large sum of money paid on leaving a job
a golden boy - a young man idolised for a great skill, usually in sport
to pass with flying colours - to pass with distinction
to be in the dark - to be unaware
to show one’s true colours - to show one’s real self

BOSNIAN/CROATIAN/SERBIAN/MONTENEGRIN
gledati kao tele u šarena vrata - to stare at something with surprise/wonder (lit. to stare like a calf at a colourful door)

GERMAN
einen Silberblick haben - to be squint-eyed (lit. to have a silver gaze)
sich eine goldene Nase verdienen - to make a fortune (lit. to earn oneself a golden nose)
bekannt wie ein kunterbunter Hund - to be well-known (lit. to be known like a colourful dog)

GREEK
τρώω με χρυσά κουτάλια - to be very rich (lit. to eat with golden spoons)

NORWEGIAN
gullkorn - an especially clever word/pun/idea (lit. golden grain) 
gylden mulighet - a good chance to achieve something

PORTUGUESE
fiquei bege! - to be astonished (lit. to be beige)
amizade colorida - a friendship which includes sex without commitment (lit. a coloured friendship)
é cor de burro quando foge - to be of a colour hard to describe (lit. to be the colour of a donkey on the run)

SLOVAK
byt´ zlatý - to be sweet, endearing (lit. to be golden)
nevidím to ružovo - not to be optimistic about something (lit. not to see somethingt rosy)
byt´ biely ako stena/krieda - to feel sick (lit. to be white as a wall / a chalk)
byt´ modrý ako šmolko - to feel tired and sick (lit. to be blue like smurf)

SLOVENIAN
bel kot stena - to feel sick (lit. to be white as a wall)

SPANISH
verlo a través de un cristal de colores - to be optimistic (lit. to see something through a coloured glass)
de noche, todos los gatos son pardos - refers to a situation where somebody can barely notice what another person does (lit. in the dark at night, all cats are dark-coloured)

SWEDISH
beige - less than optimal or desirable (lit. beige)
född med en silversked i munnen - to be born into a rich family (lit. to be born with a silver spoon in the mouth)


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