black-and-blue

[ blak-uhn-bloo ]

adjective

1. discolored, as by bruising; exhibiting ecchymosis:

   a black-and-blue mark on my knee.

black-and-blue

adjective

1. (of the skin) discoloured, as from a bruise
2. feeling pain or soreness, as from a beating

Word History and Origins

Origin of black-and-blue¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

Idioms and Phrases

Badly bruised, as in That fall down the stairs left me black and blue all over . Even though multicolored bruises rarely include the color black, this term has been so used since about 1300.

Example Sentences

The west, half-way to the zenith, was green—the black-and-blue green of bruised flesh.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a long scratch on one calf and numerous black-and-blue spots around both knees.

From Project Gutenberg

These would explode, and I was twice hit by the bullets, which left a black-and-blue mark.

From Project Gutenberg

Always it landed on some tender portion of my anatomy, so that my average, written in black-and-blue spots, remained an even 1000.

From Project Gutenberg

Don't know exactly what it was, but I warrant I'll have a nice black-and-blue mark to show for it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ache
• bruise
• discomfort
• outrage
• pain
• suffering