English idioms color our language with vivid imagery and express complex ideas in a few words. The color black, often associated with mystery, elegance, or negativity, appears in numerous idioms used in everyday English. This blog post explores 20 such idioms, providing you with concise meanings and straightforward examples. Whether you’re a language learner aiming to sound more like a native speaker or just curious about English expressions, these idioms are sure to add some color to your linguistic palette.
Idioms with Black
1. Black sheep
Meaning: A person who is considered a disgrace to a particular group, usually a family.
Example: John is the black sheep of the family.
2. Black and white
Meaning: Something very clear; straightforward.
Example: The rules are black and white.
3. Black out
Meaning: To lose consciousness; also refers to turning off all the lights.
Example: He blacked out during the marathon.
4. Black market
Meaning: Illegal trade in goods or currencies.
Example: Tickets were sold on the black market.
5. Black eye
Meaning: A bruise near the eye.
Example: He got a black eye in the fight.
6. Blacklist
Meaning: A list of people or products viewed with suspicion or disapproval.
Example: He was blacklisted by the hotel.
7. Black tie
Meaning: A formal dress code for social functions.
Example: The event is black tie.
8. Black hole
Meaning: An object in space with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing can escape it; also used to describe a situation where money or resources disappear without any likely return.
Example: The project became a financial black hole.
9. Black comedy
Meaning: A humorous work that makes light of serious or taboo subjects.
Example: The play was a black comedy about politics.
10. Black death
Meaning: A deadly plague that spread through Europe in the 14th century.
Example: The Black Death killed millions.
11. Black magic
Meaning: Supernatural practices used for evil purposes.
Example: The villagers feared black magic.
12. Black heart
Meaning: Describes someone with a deeply wicked soul.
Example: He is known to have a black heart.
13. In the black
Meaning: Profitable; not in debt.
Example: Our company is finally in the black.
14. Black book
Meaning: A book containing names of people to be punished, blacklisted, or looked down upon.
Example: He was in her black book.
15. Black letter
Meaning: Clear, unmistakable, or straightforward.
Example: It was a black letter law.
16. Black as night
Meaning: Extremely dark.
Example: The room was black as night.
17. Black mood
Meaning: Feeling very depressed or morose.
Example: He’s in a black mood today.
18. Black gold
Meaning: A term used to refer to oil.
Example: Countries rich in black gold are often wealthy.
19. Black Friday
Meaning: A day of major sales in the U.S., following Thanksgiving, notorious for shopping chaos.
Example: I got a TV on Black Friday.
20. Pitch black
Meaning: Extremely dark, with no light.
Example: The basement was pitch black.
