blue box

American  

noun

1. an electronic device used by phone phreaks to send out signals that unlock long-distance telephone circuits.

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blue box British  

noun

1. a blue plastic container for domestic refuse that is to be collected and recycled

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Etymology

Origin of blue box

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The source of the irritation is a small blue box installed in a stairwell leading to the market, the latest tactic used by property owners to deter unhoused people from camping out in the area.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2025

Above each ankle was an American flag of sorts, comprising red and black lines and a blue box filled with spangly stars and stripes.

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2024

Cantrell expected to find magazines in the blue box.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 11, 2023

People at the library quickly recognized the blue box that the notebooks had been stored in.

From NewsForKids.net • Apr. 7, 2022

She gathered up the eggshell-thin fragments with care and placed them in a small blue box which had once held a bracelet that her grandmother had given her when she was a little girl.

From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman