#10 - Say It With Colours
We often use the phrases "green with envy" and "seeing red". The English language connotes colours with emotions intensified so vividly, that we never doubt the use of such connotations. An intriguing array of colours lay in wait for our uncovering of their origins and accuracy of use.
Green, the colour of nature and life, was oddly enough to be connoted with ill-health in the past, hence the saying of "pale as a green grape." It then gradually became predominantly associated with envy, one of the seven deadly sins, with its debut in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago allegedly warned Othello, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock..." Shakespeare personified the feelings of envy and jealousy into a monster with alleged green eyes, and the connotation stuck ever since.
Red is a synonym of love, romantic or carnal, as demonstrated by the phrases "red valentine" and "red-light district". It is also frequently seen associated with feelings of rage and anger, in which the phrase "seeing red" happens to be an excellent example. Such connotations probably attribute to the primitive association of the colour with blood, and since blood rushes to your head when you are screaming in rage, one's face turns rather red in tides if anger, indeed.
Blue loosely refers to melancholy and despondency since the sixteenth century. It is derived from 'blue devils', imaginary demons popularly thought to have caused depression and sadness back then. "Feeling blue" and the more infamous "Monday blues" are adaptations of this colour connotation. Even the musical genre blues got its name from having mournful lyrics and haunting melodies that resembled the colour connotations.
White is closely related to fear, with reasons akin to that of red and rage. The phrase "went white with fear" came about because fear apparently causes your blood to drain from your face. Another metaphorical saying, "raise the white flag" is used to describe surrendering in fear.
Colours play an important in linguistics and in our everyday lives. Who says we cannot be artists of our own fashion?
Green, the colour of nature and life, was oddly enough to be connoted with ill-health in the past, hence the saying of "pale as a green grape." It then gradually became predominantly associated with envy, one of the seven deadly sins, with its debut in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago allegedly warned Othello, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock..." Shakespeare personified the feelings of envy and jealousy into a monster with alleged green eyes, and the connotation stuck ever since.
Red is a synonym of love, romantic or carnal, as demonstrated by the phrases "red valentine" and "red-light district". It is also frequently seen associated with feelings of rage and anger, in which the phrase "seeing red" happens to be an excellent example. Such connotations probably attribute to the primitive association of the colour with blood, and since blood rushes to your head when you are screaming in rage, one's face turns rather red in tides if anger, indeed.
Blue loosely refers to melancholy and despondency since the sixteenth century. It is derived from 'blue devils', imaginary demons popularly thought to have caused depression and sadness back then. "Feeling blue" and the more infamous "Monday blues" are adaptations of this colour connotation. Even the musical genre blues got its name from having mournful lyrics and haunting melodies that resembled the colour connotations.
White is closely related to fear, with reasons akin to that of red and rage. The phrase "went white with fear" came about because fear apparently causes your blood to drain from your face. Another metaphorical saying, "raise the white flag" is used to describe surrendering in fear.
Colours play an important in linguistics and in our everyday lives. Who says we cannot be artists of our own fashion?
posted by Lady Lazarus at 10:43 PM
1 Comments:
Hey, that's a ripoff! At least on the title...
Anyway, nice post on the colours, it's always a good thing to tie 'em with emotions. As Mark Anthony once noted, 'it is but a surer way to win them over'.
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