不同的文化對於相同的事物會有不同的描述。我們熟悉的顏色在西方的文化背景下卻變的“面目全非”了，所以在某些情況下對於英文顏色的詞，切忌望文生義，不信請看：
1 BLACK 本意為黑色
black sheep 害群之馬
black list黑名單
black dog沮喪
black tea 紅茶
black coffee 不加糖和奶的濃咖啡
2 BLUE 本意為藍色
blue Monday 不開心的星期壹
blue films 黃色電影
blue blood 貴族血統
3 WHITE 本意為白色
white room 無菌室或絕塵室
white lie 沒有惡意的謊言
white elephant 昂貴而無用之物
4 yellow 本意為黃色
yellow boy 金幣
yellow dog 卑鄙的人
yellow book 指法國等政府或議會發表的報告書
此外，green hand表示“沒有經驗的新手”， red-neck表示“鄉下佬”等
講到顏色，
還有white Christmas,白色聖誕，跟我們的瑞雪兆豐年差不多意思吧，表示被保佑與被祝福，聖誕下雪會更加珍貴開心。
white night失眠，很久以前有壹出西片，講到它的主題曲就家喻戶曉，SAY YOU SAY ME。片名沒多少人記得吧，這出戲就叫WHITE NIGHT翻譯成“白夜逃亡”。現在看起來，翻譯的人也不甚了解WHITE NIGHT的含義。
a white smith 銀匠 a white war不流血的戰爭 white-haired boy寵兒 white feather 懦夫，懦弱
黃色，還有懦弱膽小的意思。
成語to have a yellow streak等於說「有些懦弱」。yellow flag 檢疫旗. yellow pages 電話號碼分類頁. Yellow River 黃河. 6. yellow sea 黃海. wear yellow stockings嫉妒. yellow streak 懦弱、膽怯的個性.
brown bread 黑面包 brown sugar紅糖
He was caught red-handed. 他當場被抓住了
所以，RED-HANDED是 當場 的意思。
加冰威士忌，WHISKEY ON THE ROCKS。
到了酒吧，別忘了跟BAR TENDER講，ON THE ROCKS，PLS。加冰的！
1. red
e.g.1. A red battle happened in this village. 在這個村莊發生了壹場血戰.
2. He was caught red-handed. 他當場被抓住了.
3. The factory was in the red last year. 那家工廠去年虧損了.
4. red ball特別快車: There are several red balls between Wuhan and Beijing.
5. red cap服務搬運工:
A red cap can help you with your baggage in a hotel or in a railway station.
6. red carpet 隆重的接待或歡迎: We will roll out the red carpet for the delegation,
7. red eye 廉價的烈性威士忌: He had the habit of drinking the red eye every day.
8. red hot 感情強烈的人: Tom is a red hot.
9. red ink赤字,虧空: There is some red ink in his business.
10. red meat牛羊肉:Many people prefer red meat to white meat.
11. red-pencil修改,改正:The lawyer red-penciled the law suit.
12. red tape 官僚習氣:We must get rid of the red tape in the government offices.
2. brown
e.g. 1. I like brown sugar.我喜歡紅糖.
2. I did him brown! 我讓他上當了!
3. Aren’t you brown! 別曬黑了!
4. don’t fire into the brown! 別向鳥群開槍!
5. brown bread 黑面包
6. brown paper 牛皮紙
3.yellow
e.g. 1. Those are papers yellowed with age. 那些是年久發黃的報紙.
2. You are yellow. 妳是個膽小鬼.
3.He is a yellow dog. 他是個卑鄙的人.
4.yellow alert空襲的預備警報
People will be frightened if there’s a yellow alert.
5.yellow back通俗廉價小說:There were a lot of yellow backs in the 19th century.
6.yellow-belly 膽小鬼,懦夫: Everybody knows that he is a yellow-belly, so nobody
likes him.
7. yellow press 黃色報刊: The yellow press cannot be published in our country.
8. yellow streak膽怯:He has a yellow streak in him.
13. green
e.g. 1. When I heard that, I was green with anger. 聞聽此事,我氣得臉色發青.
2. He is a green young man. 他是個初出茅廬的年青人.
3. Don’t give the green light to him. 不要縱容他.
4. I’m still green at the job. 對這項工作來說我仍然是個生手.
9. We had a green party last night. 昨晚,我們舉辦了壹個溫暖快樂的聚會.
10. Though she’s 18, she’s very green. 她已經18歲了,但還很幼稚.
11. Mr. Li is in a green old age. 李先生仍是老當益壯.
12. a green room演員休息室
13. a green hand生手
14. a green house 溫室
14. blue
e.g. 1. He is blue in the face with cold. 他的臉凍得發紫.
2. My teacher looks blue today. 今天,老師的臉色看起來很憂郁.
3. She is proud of her blue blood. 她因出身貴族而驕傲.
4. The sad news came, like a bolt from the blue. 這消息傳來,猶如晴天霹靂.
15. The thing made him feel blue. 那件事弄得他無精打采.
6. white
e.g. 1. The doctor told him to take the whites of three eggs a day.
醫生告訴他壹天吃三個雞蛋的蛋白.
2. Lily sometimes tells a white lie. 莉莉有時說謊,但是毫無惡意.
3. We must make our names white again. 我們壹定要洗清恥辱.
4. A motor car would be a white elephant to me. 對我來說,摩托車是無用而累贅的東西。
5. I had a white night yesterday. 昨夜我失眠了.
6.a white day吉日
16. a white smith 銀匠
17. a white room (醫院的)無菌室
18. a white war 不流血的戰爭
19. white-haired boy寵兒
20. white feather 懦夫，懦弱
21. black
e.g. I want a black coffee. 我要壹杯清咖啡.
2. Things look black. 形勢不妙.
3. He was a black sheep. 他是個害群之馬.
4. He gave me a black look. 他惡狠狠地瞪了我壹眼.
5. They went into black for their friend. 他們為朋友深感痛惜.
6.black tea紅茶
7.a black coat 職員
8.a blacksmith鐵匠
9.black dog 沮喪，情緒低落 Cheer up! Don’t be under the black dog.
10.blackguard 無賴，濫罵 He is a blackguard and always blackguards others.
11.black letter day 倒黴的壹天
e.g. Yesterday was his black letter day. First he lost some money, then he broke his leg.
12.blacklist列入黑名單 The thieves were blacklisted.
13.black money沒向政府報稅的非法收入
e.g. Ms Liu was prosecuted for getting a lot of black money.
14.blackmail 敲詐 This old man was blackmailed by the blackguards.
22. purple
e.g. 1. He became purple with rage. 他氣得臉色發青.
2. This is a purple passage. 這是壹個絢麗的章節.