Know Your English (Nov 2001)-8

Know your English

WHAT IS the meaning of "bolt from the blue"?

This is an expression, which has been a part of the English language for a very long time. When you say that something was a "bolt from the blue" or a "bolt out of the blue", it means that it was sudden and totally unexpected; whatever happened really surprised you. Here are a few examples.

*The news that Sumithra had lung cancer was a bolt from the blue.

*Gauri seemed to really like her new job. So when she informed her parents last week that she was planning on quitting, it was a bolt out of the blue.

The word "blue" in the expression refers to the blue sky and "bolt" refers to thunderbolts. On a day when the sky is blue and there are no clouds around, one does not expect to hear thunder. If one does, one is really surprised.

Source:

The Hindu daily, Tuesday, November 13, 2001

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