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• black-and-blue
  black-and-blue

  adjective

  discolored, as by bruising; exhibiting ecchymosis.
• black and blue
  black and blue

  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.

black-and-blue

American  

[blak-uhn-bloo] / ˈblæk ənˈblu /

adjective

1. discolored, as by bruising; exhibiting ecchymosis.

   a black-and-blue mark on my knee.

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black-and-blue British  

adjective

1. (of the skin) discoloured, as from a bruise

2. feeling pain or soreness, as from a beating

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black and blue Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of black-and-blue

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

black-and-blue black and blue

The singer re-emerged wearing a sparkly black-and-blue outfit complete with roller skates as he introduced will.i.am for their collaboration OMG - a song title which reflected the crowd's reaction.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2024

Back at T-Mobile Park on Monday afternoon, Moore lifted up his shirt to reveal the oversized black-and-blue welt under his left shoulder blade on Monday afternoon.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023

Later that year, he began donning baroque-style, sky-high collars—supposedly to cover the black-and-blue legions that were creeping their way up his neck.

From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2018

If there’s a silver lining to the black-and-blue injuries, it’s that some of those players are ready for more responsibility as the Kings continue the search for scoring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2018

A nasty black-and-blue swelled along his right cheek.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Dozens of the black and blue pillars have been sprayed since they began sprouting earlier this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

But instead of black and blue or white and gold, it's pink and purple or orange and blue.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

So my prediction was that night owls would tend to see the dress as black and blue, whereas early risers would have a tendency to see it as white and gold.

From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2025

The black and blue patch will read “Fernando,” with his No. 34 below.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024

They were scarred, bruised, calloused, greasy; one fingernail was black and blue and coming off—some hands.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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Related Words

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

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