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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

out of the blue en · ADP

Pronunciation

  • /aʊt əv ðə ˈbluː/
  • (Australia) audio

Etymology

Short for out of the blue sky, likening an unexpected event to lightning or rain coming suddenly from a cloudless sky.

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) Unexpectedly; without warning or preparation.
    • Just as it appeared Arsenal had taken the sting out of the tie, Johnson produced a moment of outrageous quality, thundering a bullet of a left foot shot out of the blue and into the top left-hand corner of Wojciech Szczesny's net with the Pole grasping at thin air. 2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC:
    • I really can't understand how something like this could simply pop up out of the blue.
    • I deckhanded on a fish boat for four years and knew no fisherman likes to be called out of the blue and have his numbers demanded! 2004, Stephen Hume, A Stain Upon the Sea: West Coast Salmon Farming, →ISBN, page 210:
    • After I hadn’t heard from her in six months, she called me out of the blue to meet for lunch.
    • I've never done good things / I've never done bad things / I never did anything out of the blue 1980, David Bowie, “Ashes to Ashes”:

Relateds

out of nowhere · just like that · thin air · bolt from the blue · next thing one knows

Translations (58)

es de repente (unexpectedly) · fr comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles (unexpectedly) · is eins og skrattinn úr sauðaleggnum (unexpectedly) · cs zčistajasna (unexpectedly) · lt lyg perkūnas iš giedro dangaus (unexpectedly) · ja 出し抜け (unexpectedly) · uk як грім з я́сного не́ба (unexpectedly) · de aus dem Nichts (unexpectedly) · ja 藪から棒 (unexpectedly) · ko 갑자기 (unexpectedly) · de aus dem Blauen heraus (unexpectedly) · it dal nulla (unexpectedly) · sh kȁo grȏm iz vȅdra nȅba (unexpectedly) · no ut av det blå (unexpectedly) · sv som en blixt från klar himmel (unexpectedly) · it inaspettatamente (unexpectedly) · pt à toa (unexpectedly) · mi whāia ka/kua (nei) (unexpectedly) · cmn 出乎意料 (unexpectedly) · cmn 出其不意 (unexpectedly) · ar عَلَى حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ (unexpectedly) · hu a semmiből (unexpectedly) · it di punto in bianco (unexpectedly) · is eins og þruma úr heiðríkju (unexpectedly) · ar عَلَى حِينِ غِرَّةٍ (unexpectedly) · mi matawhawhati (unexpectedly) · pt da cartola (unexpectedly) · es de la nada (unexpectedly) · es de sopetón (unexpectedly) · fi kuin salama kirkkaalta taivaalta (unexpectedly) · de (wie) aus blauem Himmel (unexpectedly) · it come un fulmine a ciel sereno (unexpectedly) · nl uit het niets (unexpectedly) · ro din senin (unexpectedly) · is sem reiðarslag (unexpectedly) · es como caído de las nubes (unexpectedly) · sh ка̏о гро̑м из ве̏дра не̏ба (unexpectedly) · de (wie) aus heiterem Himmel (unexpectedly) · da ud af det blå (unexpectedly) · uk як грім се́ред я́сного не́ба (unexpectedly) · hu meglepetésszerűen (unexpectedly) · no som lyn fra klar himmel (unexpectedly) · hu váratlanul (unexpectedly) · uk як сніг на голову (unexpectedly) · is eins og þruma úr heiðskíru lofti (unexpectedly) · pl ni stąd, ni zowąd (unexpectedly) · la inexspectate (unexpectedly) · vi đang không (unexpectedly) · nl zomaar (unexpectedly) · hu hirtelen (unexpectedly) · is öllum að óvörum (unexpectedly) · ar فَجْأَةً (unexpectedly) · fi yllättäen (unexpectedly) · fr comme un cheveu sur la soupe (unexpectedly) · pl jak grom z jasnego nieba (unexpectedly) · af uit die bloute (unexpectedly) · pt do nada (unexpectedly) · fr de nulle part (unexpectedly)