Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

bluehair en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

From blue + hair. The "elderly person" sense, first documented in the 1980s, refers to the blue rinse once used by older women to conceal grey hair. The second sense emerged from the stereotypical association of dyed blue hair with social-justice activists.

Meanings

  1. (countable, derogatory, humorous, slang, uncountable) An elderly person, especially a woman or one viewed as senile, old-fashioned, or out of touch.
    • “Anyone can join,” O'Neill says. “We have age ranges from children to blue hairs.” 2019, Chris O'Neill, quoted in Jordan Bradley, "Do Something Different: Try These Alternative Recreation Options", Encore (Michigan), June 2019, page 25
    • I have memories from a young age in which my father is yelling about "blue hairs" and their inability to drive. And everyone remembers that scene in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" in which the old lady cannot see over the steering wheel and is swerving down the road. 1997, Karin Vonesh, "Who are the worst drivers of all?", Southwords (Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL), Volume 34, Issue 7, 19 December 1997, page 3
    • He'd recently swiped the little orange bottle of OxyContin from the old hag he often watched on Tuesday nights when her cold, indifferent middle-aged daughter played bingo with the other bluehairs from the strip-mall salon she frequented. 2011, Lola Newmar, Devlin's Beast, page 33:
  2. (countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable) A young or naive supporter of social-justice causes.
    • Americans thinking it was based to worship capitalism to own the bluehairs while bitching about big tech silencing them was so embarrassing. 2021 January 18, hassiktirbok (@UQSKnotme), Twitter:
    • There's a sizeable cohort of gullible bluehairs who'd protest outside a lake if someone told them carp were an anti-trans hate group. 2022 March 24, TAFKAMacM (@TAFKAMacM), Twitter:
    • Trump is demolishing America's institutions - including the media FAKE, FAKE, FAKE - and this chucklehead is worried about offending a bluehair. 2019 September 29, Pitt Griffin (@pittgriffin), Twitter:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
blue-hair alternative lexicographic
bluehairs Number=Plur lexicographic
blue hair alternative lexicographic

Relateds

bluenette

Synonyms

old-timer · fogey · fossil · wokester · fuddy-duddy · social justice warrior · geezer

wikipedia: Jonathon Green