blue law
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of blue law
An Americanism dating back to 1775–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — It is still illegal to buy alcohol at a liquor store on Sunday in Indiana, a red state holding fast to an old blue law.
From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2015
The New York blue law code is particularly messy.
From Time Magazine Archive
This 68-year-old blue law, a relic of Anthony Comstock's crusades, is widely disregarded, seldom enforced.
From Time Magazine Archive
An 1822 blue law still forbids Mississippians to attend bearbaiting, cockfights, bullfights and any other routine amusements of a Sabbath.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is obviously impossible to pass a blue law compelling parents to conform to—what ideal?
From Euthenics, the science of controllable environment a plea for better living conditions as a first step toward higher human efficiency by Richards, Ellen H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
