blue flu

American

noun

absenteeism among police officers or firefighters who claim to be ill but are in fact absent to support union contract demands or negotiations: so called from the officers' blue uniforms.

Etymology

Origin of blue flu

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Soon enough, walkouts, the blue flu, furious passengers standing in line at airports and other problems will start piling up.

From Fox News • Jan. 7, 2019

Some of the stories from Carolina when he first got here makes me wonder, is he staging a little "blue flu" to show his displeasure?

From Chicago Tribune • Oct. 12, 2013

The startled cops retaliated with a wave of "blue flu," calling in sick.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023