jaune comme un coing (yellow as a quince) - about the face of someone, deep yellow.
faire le jaune - to refuse to go on strike and therefore, in the eyes of the strikers and the unions, to be a political traitor
jaune cocu - the colour yellow is also associated to "cocus" (cuckolds), people, especially men, whose spouse is unfaithful
bleu [blø] - blue, rare/underdone (steak), bruise, overalls, new recruit
Shades of bleu
bleu ardoise - slate blue
bleu canard - peacock blue
bleu ciel / blue horizon - sky blue
bleu marine - navy blue
bleu nuit - midnight blue
bleu outremer - ultramarine
Expressions
bleuir - to make/turn/go blue
bleuissement - turning blue, blueing
bleuté - bluish
les bleus - the French national football team
bleu de froid - blue with cold
être bleu de colère - to be livid / purple with rage
tu me prends pour un bleu? - do you think I was born yesterday
les Bleus - Conservatives
vert [vɛʁ] (m) verte (f) - green, unripe (fruit), young (wine), vigorous, sprightly, spry
Shades of green
vert sapin - forest green
vert pré / vert gazon - grass green
vert olive/pistache/émeraude - olive/pistachio/emerald(-green)
vert pomme/d'eau/bouteille - apple/sea/bottle-green
Expressions
vert de peur - green with fear
être au régime - to be on a green-vegetable diet
au temps de sa verte jeunesse - in the first bloom of his youth
il en a dit des vertes (et de pas mûres) - he said some pretty spicy / saucy things
se mettre au vert - to take a rest or refreshing break in the country
vert de rage - purple with rage
être encore vert (about a man) - to be young beyond one's years
les verts - (members of) the Green party
brun [bʁœ̃ / bʁɛ̃] (m) brune (f) - brown, dark (hair), dusky/swarthy (skin), tanned
marron (m) marrone (f) - brown, chestnut (used for people, paper, clothes and shoes)
Shades of brown
brun roux - auburn
marron glacé - light chestnut brown
café au lait - light brown
brun chocolat - coffee brown
marron tête de nègre (lit. "negro-head brown") - coffee brown: the expression is quite old fashioned,
dating back to an era when "nègre" wasn't pejorative but merely descriptive, and has been
more or less banned from newspapers that find it too politically-incorrect.
un canapé marron - a brown sofa
une robe marron - a brown dress
des yeux marron(s) brown eyes
Expressions
brune - brown ale, stout
tabac brun - dark tobacco
ours brun - brown bear
cheveux bruns - brown hair
à la brune - at twilight, at dusk
marron d'Inde - horse chestnut
tirer les marrons du feu - to be sb's cat's paw
rose [ʁoz] - pink, rosy
Expressions
voir la via / tout en rose - to see everything through rose-coloured glasses/spectacles
sa vie n'était pas bien rose - his life was not a bed of roses
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