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

Example Sentences

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

Revel’s black-and-blue mopeds have the acceleration of a motorcycle, the nimbleness of a bicycle, and, on New York streets where the speed limit is 25 mph, the legal top speed of a car.

From Slate • Aug. 29, 2019

In a crisp, black-and-blue flannel, a nest of light-brown hair and olive librarian glasses he could have passed as an adjunct at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2019

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

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

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