This blog is for everyone who uses words.

The ordinary-sized words are for everyone, but the big ones are especially for children.



Sunday, 23 September 2012

Sunday Rest: Word Not To Use Today: hue.

The word hue may sound like someone about to vomit, but it's quite interesting for all that.

You can have fifty shades of grey (if for some odd reason you should want to) but you can't have fifty hues of grey, because hue can't be applied to white, grey, or black.

The word (hue) in brackets on a paint pot, as in Cadmium Yellow (hue) means that although the paint is the same colour as Cadmium Yellow, it isn't actually made of cadmium.

The Linner hue index is used to describe the colour of beer.

Lastly, a hue and cry isn't a violent reaction to a bad decorating decision, but the loud pursuit of a villain.

Word Not To Use Today: hue. This word comes from the Old English word hīw, which means beauty, and is related to the Old Norse , fine hair, and Old Gothic hiwi, form.

Hue and cry is from the Anglo-French hu et cri, from huer to shout, from hu! a shout of warning.



No comments:

Post a Comment

All comments are very welcome, but please make them suitable for The Word Den's family audience.