Special Expressions with Colors: Special Expressions with Colors (#5)

Dennis Oliver

#5: white

Besides referring to certain shades or hues that everyone
knows, colors are also used in many idiomatic expressions.

Here are a few common expressions using white:

expression		meaning
white cap		an ocean wave with foam on top

white-collar (adjective)		a job which does not require manual labor (for example, a job done in an office)

white coffee		a combination of coffee and milk

white elephant		a useless possession (for example, a gift that you would never want or buy for yourself)

white flag		a flag that is waved to signal that a person or group surrenders to another person or group

white heat		temperature that is high enough to make metal appear to be white

white-hot		(1) adjective describing metal which is extremely hot; (2) extremely intense or passionate.

the White House		the official residence of the U.S. President

a white lie		a lie that is told in order to be polite or to avoid offending or otherwise hurting someone

white meat		light-colored meat (veal, pork, poultry, fish). Dark-colored meat (for example, beef or mutton) is called red meat.

white tie		expression referring to full formal evening dress for men

whitewash		noun: a mixture of water and powdered lime or chalk which is used to paint walls; verb: (1) to apply whitewash to a wall; (2) to attempt to make someone seem innocent or blameless by concealing his / her deficiencies, errors, mistakes, or faults.

egg white		the colorless part of an egg that turns white when cooked

the white of one's eyes		the white part of one's eyeballs until you see the white of their eyes: until they are very close