like a bolt out of the blue

like a bolt out of the blue

Unexpectedly or surprisingly; without warning. We always thought of Michael as a life-long bachelor, so it was like a bolt out of the blue when he returned from his vacation sporting a wedding ring! News that they were going to dissolve our company came like a bolt out of the blue. We're all still in shock from it.

See also: blue, bolt, like, of, out

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

like a bolt out of the blue

 and like a bolt from the blue

Fig. suddenly and without warning. (Alludes to a bolt of lightning coming out of a clear blue sky.) The news came to us like a bolt from the blue. Like a bolt out of the blue, the boss came and fired us all.

See also: blue, bolt, like, of, out

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.