phrase
out of the blue
owt uv thuh BLOO
Out of the blue (phrase) means Without any warning or apparent cause; completely unexpectedly. Example: “She rang me out of the blue after eleven years.”
phrase
1
Without any warning or apparent cause; completely unexpectedly.
"She rang me out of the blue after eleven years."
"The redundancies came out of the blue on a Tuesday morning."
How to use out of the blue
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWith no warning at all.
When to use it
Informal to neutral; fine in journalism and general writing.
Memory tip
It usually follows the verb: 'he called out of the blue', not 'he out of the blue called'.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
out of nowhere
a bolt from the blue
all of a sudden
Common pairings
came out of the blue
completely out of the blue
turned up out of the blue
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She rang me _____ after eleven years.
Etymology
From the image of a bolt of lightning falling from a clear blue sky; the fuller form 'a bolt from the blue' is still used.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
as expected
predictably
Related words
Rhymes for out of the blue
See all rhymes for out of the blue →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between out of the blue and out of nowhere?
They are close in meaning and often interchangeable. Out of the blue emphasises that there was no warning after a period of nothing; out of nowhere emphasises the suddenness of the appearance itself, and is more often used of physical things, as in 'a cyclist came out of nowhere'.
Is it out of the blue or out the blue?
The standard form keeps 'of': out of the blue. 'Out the blue' is common in casual British and Caribbean speech but is best avoided in writing.
Why blue?
The blue is a clear sky. The phrase pictures lightning striking when there is not a cloud in sight, so nothing gave any warning.
What is the meaning of out of the blue?
"out of the blue" (phrase) means without any warning or apparent cause; completely unexpectedly.
