colour (redirected from colors)

be off-colour  (British & Australian) also be off-color (American & Australian)

to not be feeling as well as usual He had flu a couple of months ago and he's been a bit off-colour ever since.

come through/pass with flying colours  (British & Australian) also come through/pass with flying colors (American & Australian)

to pass an examination with a very high score or to complete a difficult activity very successfully She took her university entrance exam in December and passed with flying colours. The officer training was gruelling, but he came through with flying colours.

See also: come, flying, through

nail your colours to the mast  (British & Australian) also nail your colors to the mast (American & Australian)

to publicly state your opinions about a subject Nobody knows which way he's going to vote because he has so far refused to nail his colours to the mast.

See nail colours to the mast, show in true colours

See also: mast, nail

off-colour  (British & Australian) also off-color (American & Australian)

off-colour jokes or remarks are about sex in a way that some people find offensive Some of his jokes were a little off-colour and I don't think my grandparents particularly appreciated them.

sail under false colours  (British & Australian) also sail under false colors (American & Australian)

to pretend to be something that you are not in order to deceive people

Usage notes: If a ship sails under false colours, it uses the flag of another country in order to deceive people.

Lewis was sailing under false colours - he never told her he was a journalist.

See also: false, sail

see the colour of somebody's money  (British & Australian) also see the color of somebody's money (American & Australian)

to make sure that someone can pay for something before you let them have it I want to see the colour of his money before I say the car's his.

See also: money, see

show somebody in their true colours  (British & Australian) also show somebody in their true colors (American & Australian)

to show what someone's real character is, especially when it is unpleasant By showing the terrorists in their true colours, the government hopes to undermine public support for them.

See also: show, true