Paterson J. A Dictionary of Colour - A Lexicon of the Language of Colour (анг. яз.)
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413ZYXW
n white flag
A sign or symbol raised to indicate surrender.
n white gold
A lustrous white or silvery alloy used particularly in jewellery manufacture and
made by mixing gold with silver or platinum or other metals.
n white goods
Various kinds of household goods, in particular, fridges and washing machines.
Also sheets, tablecloths etc. See brown goods.
n white-hats
The ‘good guys’ in any situation compared with the ‘baddies’ – the black hats.
n white heat
A term used to describe the temperature of hot metal over 1,000° centigrade.
n white hope, the great
Someone expected to achieve great success in a particular endeavour possibly
originating in boxing at the beginning of the 19th century in relation to white
boxers in competition with black opponents.
n white horse
A wave with a white crest or peak. Referred to as ‘whitecaps’ in US. See also
leucipotomy.
a white-hot
Extremely bright; heated to such a temperature as to generate white light; extremely
hot; by extension exceedingly eager or enthusiastic.
n white knight
Business jargon for a company or person who, often at the
last moment, rescues a target company from the clutches of
a hostile party making an unwelcome takeover bid. In the US
the term ‘white squire’ is preferred.
adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
414 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
a white-knuckle
Causing severe fear, terrifying. A phrase alluding to the intense grip maintained
by a person subjected to a terrifying experience, for example, on a turbulent
fairground ride.
n white lead
An ancient white pigment made from lead carbonate. See lead white and flake
white. When heated white lead produces red lead, a brilliant red pigment also
called minium. When further heated it creates a yellow pigment known as litharge
or massicot. See Cremnitz white.
n white leather
Leather prepared in such a way as to retain its natural colouring.
n white lie
See phrases.
n white light
A mixture of light (such as sunlight) comprising all of the wavelengths visible to
the human eye. The components of white light were first identified by Sir Isaac
Newton (1642-1727). Gemstones give the appearance of being coloured because
some of the white light entering them becomes absorbed thus creating colour.
n white lightning
US slang for home-brewed alcohol.
n white lines
Markings on the surface of thoroughfares and carriageways indicating a variety
of warnings and rules to be followed by drivers as set out in The Highway Code.
a white-livered
Lacking in courage.
adv whitely
With a white appearance or aspect; having a light skin.
n white magic
Magic used for benign purposes compared with black magic; slang for beautiful
women.
415ZYXW
n white mail
See blackmail.
n white man’s burden, the
The perceived obligation of the white race to rule the colonies. Derived from
Rudyard Kipling’s poem.
n white mule
Same as white lightning.
n whitening
The process of becoming or of making something white in colour.
n white noise or white sound
A constant uniform low volume random noise or hum electronically generated
and which can be used to hide unwanted noise.
n white paintings
Those paintings which consist of only the colour white – a concept perhaps
originating with the artist Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935) and his ‘White on White’
painted in 1918. Since then the concept has been widely extended by artists such
as Robert Rauschenberg and the U.S artist Robert Ryman who has from the 1960’s
confined his labours to the production of square works of art in white, some of
which sell for over £1m. The monochrome white picture is the subject of Yasmina
Reza’s play ‘Art’ which has had a long run in the West End of London.
n White Paper
A government document in the UK to be presented to Parliament containing
proposals for new policies or legislation. See Green Paper.
n white pieces, the
The white pieces in chess, draughts, backgammon, go and other board games.
n white plague, the
Tuberculosis – so called because TB has the effect of turning joints white.
n white rent
See blackmail.
416 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
n whites
As regards humans, having a fair complexion or slight pigmentation of the skin,
Caucasian. Those bits of white laundry which must be washed separately from
‘coloureds’ to avoid discolouration. A cricketer’s white trousers.
n white sale
A sale of household linen. See white goods.
a white-shoe, white shoe
Particularly as regards businesses, having a long-established reputation for
providing a top-notch reliable service to prestigious clients. Used particularly in
the US as regards firms of lawyers and brokers, but also in the UK. Possibly derived
from the wearing of white shoes by the wealthy when summer arrives.
n white slave
A woman forced into prostitution.
n whitesmith
A tin-smith in comparison to a blacksmith.
c WhiteSmoke
One of the colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #F5F5F5.
n white spirit
A colourless liquid made from petroleum and used as a solvent or as a thinner
of paints.
n white squall
A violent storm over a small area of ocean generating white waves or white horses.
n white van male
The driver of the ubiquitous white delivery van with the reputation of taking
liberties on the road in order to meet his delivery schedules.
n whitewash
A liquid mixture containing lime or whiting and water and size used to whiten
walls or other surfaces; hence ‘to whitewash’. The act of hiding or covering up
some wrongdoing or questionable conduct. Jargon for the process whereby
Section 151 of the Companies Act, 1985 (financial assistance) can be disapplied.
417ZYXW
n white water
Foaming water usually over a short stretch of a turbulent river such as rapids,
hence, white water rafting.
n white wine
Wine made from white grapes or from dark grapes from which skin and seeds
have been extracted. The colour of ‘white’ wine varies from amber to yellow to
green but is never colourless let alone white. The categorization of wine into either
white or red dates back to the Middle Ages and is one of the longest standing
wine conventions although there is a French wine from the Jura called vin jaune
or yellow wine. See rosé.
n whiting
Pulverised white chalk used to make whitewash and putty.
a whitish
Having a colour which is near to but not quite white; see -ish.
a whole-coloured
Having one colour throughout.
c willow green
A yellowish green.
c Wimbledon-coloured
Used to describe a field of lavender flowers in Wimbledon week. The Champion-
ships at Wimbledon, staged by The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club
and the Lawn Tennis Association, require competitors to wear predominantly
white tennis kit.
c wine-colour
The colour of red wine.
adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
418 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
c wine-dark
Having the colour of dark red wine. Homer often refers to the sea as ‘wine-dark’
in his Iliad and Odyssey. It has often been commented that there are so few colour-
terms used by Homer and indeed in the whole of classical Greek literature. Those
that are used often have connotations not so much of hue but of brightness and
luminosity suggesting that the ancient Greeks were more affected by the lustre
or finish of an object’s surface than with its colour. An alternative explanation,
namely, that the ancient Greeks were colour-blind has been discounted!
c wine-gum red
A dark red.
c wine red
A dark red.
c wine yellow
A light reddish-yellow.
c Winsor blue
A purplish blue.
c Winsor green
A strong green.
c Winsor violet
A reddish violet.
a winter
An adjective used in the fashion trade to describe those colours considered to
be appropriate for wear in winter and in colour psychology to classify and
differentiate between certain colour tones in their appropriateness for different
personality types.
c wistaria
A purple ‘art shade’; a light purple; violet. Named after the 19th century anatomist,
Wistaria.
419ZYXW
c woad
Purple-blue; a blue dye from a plant of the same name and also referred to as
dyer’s woad – whose Latin name is isatis tinctoria. Indigo replaced the use of
woad in the 1700’s.
n wodge
A mass of colour.
c womb-red
Illustrated as a scarlet colour but with no clue as to the origin of the term. Perhaps
indicating the warmth of the womb.
c wood brown
The brown colour of wood.
n wood colours
Colours such as ebony, mahogany, oak, pine, teak, walnut.
c Worcester green
An artificial green dye originating in Worcester, England.
X
n X- rays
An electromagnetic wave with a short wavelength created when electrons hit a
solid target at high speed. X-rays penetrate any body which is opaque.
n X11 Color Set
One of the many sets of colours used in designing websites for the Internet. There
are many different syntaxes and methodologies used to represent colour including
the 16 VGA colours (aqua, black, blue, fuchsia, green, grey, lime, maroon, navy,
olive, purple, red, silver, teal, white and yellow) the 216 colours of the ‘Color-
Safe Palette’, the 4096 colours of ‘#RGB’, the 16, 777, 216 colours using the syntax
‘#RRGGBB’ and the 140 colours in the X11 Color Set all of which are included
in this Dictionary. Palm, the computer manufacturer was sued in August 2002
by purchasers of its handheld m130 PDA (personal digital assistant) because,
though marketed as capable of supporting 65,000 colours, in fact it can handle
only 4,096!
n xanthein
One of the constituent parts of the pigment in yellow flowers.
n xanthene
A yellow compound found in some dyes, in particular, rhodamine.
a xanthic
Yellow; particularly used in the descriptive word of flowers.
420 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
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421ZYX
n xanthin
A yellow pigment which is derived from the madder plant.
n xanthism
As regards skin or other body covering, the condition where the colour yellow
is dominant.
pr xantho-, xanthin(o)-, (G)
Yellow, fair.
n xanthochroid
Races having a light complexion with fair hair.
n xanthochroism
The abnormal condition where the skin pigment turns yellow (as in the case of
certain birds) or gold (in the case of goldfish).
n xanthocyanopsia
Colour-blindness as regards yellow and blue.
n xanthoderm
A yellow skinned race.
a xanthodont
Having yellow teeth. It has become fashionable (and not only for film and television
stars) to undergo some form of cosmetic treatment to whiten one’s teeth. Whitening
toothpastes are widely available as well as more elaborate processes such as ‘power
whitening’ involving the application of hydrogen peroxide gel subjected to a light
source which bleaches the teeth.
a xanthogenic
Yielding yellow.
a xanthomelanous
Having a yellow complexion and black hair.
n xanthones
A compound which forms the basis of various natural colour-
ing matters.
adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
422 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
n xanthophore
A chromatophore with a yellow pigment.
n xanthophyll
The yellow pigment of autumn leaves. Also called phylloxanthin and
anthoxanthin. The yellow colouring matter used as a food additive (E161) with
its seven sub-classes (a) to (g).
n xanthopsia
A condition in which everything appears yellow in colour.
n xanthopterin
A pigment or pterin found in the wings of some butterflies and in the urine of
mammals generating a yellow colour.
n xanthosis
Yellowing of the skin.
a xanthospermous
Possessing yellow seeds.
a xanthous
Yellowish; having yellowish hair and a fair complexion.
n xeroderma pigmentosum
A genetic disease in which the skin if exposed to the sun and ultraviolet light
can become permanently damaged.
n xylography
Colour printing on wood.