Exercise 1

Bruno apologizes for calling Donna "out of the blue".

Why is he apologizing?

Because he knows Donna is feeling a bit sad.

Because he may be calling at a bad time.

Because Donna is off the air and no longer working.

Because his call was unexpected.

I don't know

Bruno apologizes for calling Donna "out of the blue".

Why is he apologizing?

Because he knows Donna is feeling a bit sad.

Although the term "blue" can express the sense of feeling sad or down, this isn't the case here.

Because he may be calling at a bad time.

Although people often apologize for "calling at a bad time", this isn't the reason for Bruno's apology. Bruno is excusing himself for calling Donna even though she doesn't know him and didn't give him her phone number.

Because Donna is off the air and no longer working.

Bruno is not apologizing because Donna is no longer working, but because Donna doesn't know him and his call was unexpected. "To be on the air" is to be speaking on the radio live, while to be off the air is the opposite.

Because his call was unexpected.

To call someone "out of the blue" is to call them suddenly, without warning or unexpectedly. This expression is related to the longer idiom "out of a clear blue sky" which expresses a sense of something arriving from the sky randomly or without warning. Bruno is apologizing because Donna doesn't know him, and his phone call is unexpected.

Exercise 2

Based on what you have just read, select the TRUE statement(s) from the list below.

There may be more than one correct answer!

Builders who arrive at your home unexpectedly should be avoided.

Sigourney Weevil is an expert on repairing buildings.

Sigourney's great aunt Margaret's ceiling has recently been re-plastered.

Sigourney Weevil is offering advice to her readers.

Based on what you have just read, select the TRUE statement(s) from the list below.

There may be more than one correct answer!

Builders who arrive at your home unexpectedly should be avoided.

This statement is true. Sigourney gives a list of "warning signs": clues that a builder may not be serious or professional. This list includes builders who "knock on your door out of the blue saying that they notice that your roof/driveway/windows/walls need urgent work". If something happens "out of the blue", it happens unexpectedly or as a surprise.

Sigourney Weevil is an expert on repairing buildings.

This statement is not true. Sigourney writes, "I'm no expert on re-plastering", which means that she does not know much about this type of building repair. She never says that she is an expert on repairing buildings!

Sigourney's great aunt Margaret's ceiling has recently been re-plastered.

This is a false statement. Even though she gave money to a "nice young man", the man never completed the work. Sigourney writes that this man "has not been seen since he received his cheque", which means that he received his payment, and then disappeared before completing the re-plastering job.

Sigourney Weevil is offering advice to her readers.

This is a true statement. Sigourney writes, "I've decided to give you some tips on how to avoid builders from hell". In this context, "tips" are "hints", "suggestions", or "pieces of advice". Sigourney is offering helpful advice to the people who read this article.

Out of the blue meaning in English

Definition

Examples

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