black-and-blue

[ blak-uhn-bloo ]

adjective

1. discolored, as by bruising; exhibiting ecchymosis:

   a black-and-blue mark on my knee.

black-and-blue

adjective

1. (of the skin) discoloured, as from a bruise
2. feeling pain or soreness, as from a beating

Word History and Origins

Origin of black-and-blue¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

The black and blue patch will read “Fernando,” with his No. 34 below.

From Los Angeles Times

One woman said she was "kicked and punched black and blue" by her ex-partner, who was a policeman at the time and other officers who witnessed it did not take any action.

From BBC

"My weight had dropped to around seven stone. My eyesight was failing. My heart rate had plummeted. And my arms were black and blue. I was fed only through a feeding tube."

From BBC

He said he enjoyed school in first and second year, until the beatings began, which he said left him "black and blue", and with red welts on his hands and legs.

From BBC

A pile of T-shirts that read “Zioness AF,” available in black and blue, sat unattended on a long table out front.

From Slate

Related Words

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