Blue blood
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Noble or aristocratic ancestry. uncountable
""He loves you, Jane. Thin persons like a fine armful of a woman. Pharaoh, who is a cad, likes blue blood on the same principle of the attraction of opposites. That is why he is captivated by Gertrude's aristocratic air.""
- 2 a member of the aristocracy wordnet
- 3 An aristocrat. countable
"The bluebloods of golf began pouring into the sweltering nation’s capital yesterday for the 64th U.S. Open championship, and the hottest topic was not Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus, but Champagne Tony Lema."
- 4 Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see blue, blood. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples""He loves you, Jane. Thin persons like a fine armful of a woman. Pharaoh, who is a cad, likes blue blood on the same principle of the attraction of opposites. That is why he is captivated by Gertrude's aristocratic air.""
Etymology
Calque of Spanish sangre azul, probably a reference to the more visible veins of White people.