out of the blue
English
Etymology
Short for out of the clear blue sky, likening a sudden and unexpected event to something unexpectedly falling out of the sky.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aʊt ɒv ðə bluː/
Audio (AU) (file)
Prepositional phrase
out of the blue
- (idiomatic) unexpectedly; without warning or preparation.
- After I hadn’t heard from her in six months, she called me out of the blue to meet for lunch.
- I really can't understand how something like this could simply pop up out of the blue.
Translations
unexpectedly
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See also
- next thing one knows
- out of nowhere
- thin air
- bolt from the blue