The Joy of Colour Trivia Quiz

Answer: All cats are gray in the dark

The proverb "all cats are grey in the dark" comes from the French saying La nuit, tous les chats sont gris ("At night, all cats are grey"). Known in English since at least the 16th century, it suggests that differences become less important when they cannot easily be seen. Benjamin Franklin also used the expression in a 1745 letter.

Answer: Beaten black and blue

The expression "beaten black and blue" refers to the dark colours of severe bruising. It has been used in English since at least the 16th century, with an early recorded appearance in the writings of John Heywood in 1542. More than four centuries later, it remains one of English's most vivid ways to describe being badly bruised.

Answer: Little Boy Blue

"Little Boy Blue" comes from a traditional English nursery rhyme first printed in "Tommy Thumb's Little Song Book" (c. 1744). The rhyme may be much older; some scholars have noted similarities to a passage in Shakespeare's "King Lear" (c. 1606).

The whole nursery rhyme goes like this:

"Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn.
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
Under a haystack, fast asleep."

Answer: Every cloud has a silver lining

The image behind "every cloud has a silver lining" originated with John Milton, who wrote in "Comus" (1634): "Did a sable cloud turn forth her silver lining on the night?" The familiar proverb about the unexpected benefits that can be gained despite having a problem, grew from this poetic image and gained popularity during the Victorian era.

Answer: Blue in the face

The phrase "blue in the face" dates from the early 19th century and refers to the bluish complexion that can result from breathlessness caused by prolonged shouting, arguing, or exertion. Today it usually describes a futile attempt to persuade someone.

Answer: Red herring

A "red herring" is a misleading clue or distraction. The expression became widely known after journalist William Cobbett used it in 1807 to describe a tactic that diverted attention from the real issue. Originally, a red herring was a strongly smoked fish with a distinctive reddish-brown colour and pungent odour.

Answer: The Thin Red Line

The phrase "the thin red line" originated at the Battle of Balaklava during the Crimean War in 1854. Watching a small British regiment hold its ground against a Russian cavalry charge, war correspondent William H. Russell described it as a "thin red streak tipped with a line of steel." The phrase soon entered the English language and later inspired James Jones's novel "The Thin Red Line" (1962).

Answer: Once in a blue moon

Today, "once in a blue moon" means "very rarely," but the expression originally referred to something considered nearly impossible. Its roots stretch back to the 16th century, long before "blue moon" acquired its modern astronomical meaning of a second full moon in a calendar month.

Answer: The Green Mile

Stephen King's "The Green Mile" (1996) takes its title from the green linoleum floor of Death Row at the fictional Cold Mountain Penitentiary. The prisoners' final walk to the execution chamber became known as "the Green Mile."

Answer: Green with envy

The phrase "green with envy" owes much of its popularity to William Shakespeare's association of jealousy with the colour green. In "The Merchant of Venice" (1596) he referred to "green-eyed jealousy," and in "Othello" (1604) he famously warned of the "green-eyed monster." The expression "green with envy" first appeared in print in 1853.