blue blood
7
7.6
- noun
- /blu blʌd/
:
sangre azul
- Cam, you come from a blue-blood family.
- blue blood in their veins
- old blue bloods
Franklin Roosevelt Dutch WASP blue blood family connections.
- Franklin Roosevelt Dutch WASP blue blood family connections.
Examples
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His obituary, as it appeared in the New York Times, was brief and highlighted his blue-blood roots.
Blog text (18) -
Yeah, a few are born blue bloods, like your husband.
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Oh, a real blue blood.
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I have encountered some blue bloods in my time.
Blog text (28) -
The woman is another blue blood, a wealthy widow; her money is old, she's about forty.
Fiction book (1995) -
In my late adolescence, I was romantically ensconced with one of these young Mormon blue bloods.
Blog text (28) -
Sarah Nottingham - a prim and preppy blue-blood brunette, dressed in pearls and a sweater set - looks up.
Fiction book (2001) -
She comes from a blue blood family with a long history of nobility.
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He was proud to be a blue blood, raised in a lineage of aristocrats.
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The gala was attended by many blue bloods, showcasing their elegance and heritage.
Synonyms
38
6.5
A person from the highest social class, often by birth or title
4
8.5
A person from the upper class who has polite manners
Antonyms
How Noble
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person of noble or aristocratic birth' does not follow from the literal senses of 'blue' (a colour) and 'blood' (the bodily fluid or lineage), so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not reliably infer aristocracy. Although some languages have comparable idioms (e.g. Spanish 'sangre azul'), the sense is culturally entrenched and idiomatic rather than compositionally predictable, so prior exposure is needed.
Etymology
Blue blood is one popular saying that comes from a clear image: very pale nobles had veins that looked blue under their skin. That's why people used blue and blood to mean someone 'noble'.