Idiom
Blue blood
A blue blood is a person from a noble, aristocratic or very old and wealthy family.
How people use it
It can be a noun (a Boston blue blood) or, as blue-blooded, an adjective (a blue-blooded family). It suggests inherited status and old money more than newly earned wealth. The tone is neutral to slightly mocking, depending on context; people sometimes use it to hint that someone is snobbish or out of touch. Before a noun it is usually hyphenated: blue-blood families.
Also said: blue-blooded.
Examples
- The new neighbor turned out to be a blue blood whose family has owned the land for centuries.
- Despite her blue-blooded background, Ana took the bus to work like everyone else.
- The club was once full of blue bloods, but now anyone can join.
Where it comes from
It comes from the Spanish sangre azul, "blue blood". Noble families in medieval Spain prided themselves on pale skin through which their veins looked blue, a sign that they had not worked outdoors in the sun. English borrowed the phrase in the early 1800s. Human blood is not actually blue; veins only look that way through skin.
Check yourself
1. What is a blue blood?
Answer: A person from an aristocratic family. Blue blood refers to noble or old wealthy family background.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The estate has belonged to the same blue-blooded family for generations.. Blue blood describes aristocratic family roots, not a mood or a medical sample.
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