Colour words in German

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schwarz - black

Shades / expressions

• pechschwarz - pitch black
• kohlrabenschwarz - black as a raven
• Schwarzfahrer - black rider, i.e. someone who rides a bus or train without a ticket, like a stowaway
• Schwarzseher - black-looker, i.e. a pessimist
• schwarzmalen - painting in black - expressing a pessimistic outlook
• sich schwarzärgern - to turn black with anger, i.e. being very angry - especially about something you can't change
• Da kannst du warten, bis du schwarz wirst - You can wait until you turn black (hell freezes over)

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weiß - white

Shades / expressions

• schneeweiß - white as snow
• eierschalenfarben - egg shell coloured = off-white, slightly brownish tinged white

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rot - red

Shades / expressions

• blutrot - blood red
• weinrot - wine red, burgundy
• Morgenrot / Abendrot - morning red / evening red - reddish glow in the sky at dawn / twilight
• rot werden - to become red - to blush
• rotsehen - to see red - to be furious
• Rotlauf - red run - erysipelas, an infection of the skin

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gelb - yellow

Shades / expressions

• goldgelb - golden yellow
• zitronengelb - lemon yellow

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blau - blue

Shades / expressions

• himmelblau - sky blue
• Blaues Auge - blue eye - black eye, shiner, periorbital hematoma
• Blauer Fleck - blue spot - hematoma
• Blaues Blut - blue blood - nobility
• jemanden grün und blau schlagen - to beat somebody green and blue - to beat somebody up pretty badly
• blau sein - to be drunk
• türkis - turquoise
• graublau - grey-blue = greyish blue, periwinkle
• blaumachen - making/doing blue, i. e. skipping work
• blauäugig sein - to be blue-eyed, i.e. to be naïve

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grün - green

Shades / expressions

• giftgrün - toxic green - bright green with a bluish tinge; the name derives from the toxic pigment Paris Green
• grasgrün - grassy green
• gelbgrün - yellow green, chartreuse
• Grüner Star - green "Star" [1] - glaucoma
• Grünspan - green shaving - copper acetate
• jemanden grün und blau schlagen - to beat somebody green and blue - to beat somebody up pretty badly

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braun - brown

Shades / expressions

• beige - beige - light yellowish brown
• ocker - ochre - yellowish brown
• rehbraun - deer brown
• schokoladebraun - chocolate brown
• schwarzbraun - black-brown - dark brown
• bräunen - browning - tanning

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rosa - pink
pink - bright, intense pink / hot pink / shocking pink

Shades / expressions

• altrosa - old pink - darker, slighly greyish pink
• durch die rosa Brille schauen - looking through pink glasses - having an optimistic outlook, seeing only the good side

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orange - orange

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grau - grey

Shades / expressions

• silbergrau - silver grey
• Grauzone - grey zone - an undefined area; e.g. legal loopholes, moral ambiguosness
• Grauer Star - grey "Star" [1] - cataract
• taubengrau - pigeon grey = bluish or slightly purplish grey, taupe grey
• mausgrau - mouse grey = brownish grey; the proverbial non-colour

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lila / violett - purple, violet

• violett = violet - the shade of violets
• lila = lilac - the shade of lilac blossoms

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