15 Black Idioms in English with Meanings and Examples • 7ESL

Contents

Are you ready to delve into the rich tapestry of “Black Idioms” that add color to our conversations? From “the pot calling the kettle black” to “black sheep” of the family, these expressions paint our chats with strokes of mystery and intrigue.

List of Black Idioms

Black sheep	Black and blue
Black out	Be in someone’s black book
Blackball	In the black
Black swan event	To give someone a black look
Black-hearted	Black comedy
The pot calling the kettle black	Black and white
Black eye	Black as nigh
Black hat hacker

Black Idioms with Meaning, Usage, and Example

Black Sheep

Meaning: A member of a group, typically a family, who is considered odd or disreputable.
Usage: The term is often used to describe someone who is considered a troublemaker or someone who does not fit in with the rest of their community.
Example: Ever since he dropped out of school, Jake has been considered the black sheep of the family.

Black and Blue

Meaning: Covered in bruises.
Usage: This idiom is often used to describe someone who has been physically beaten or injured, resulting in bruising.
Example: After falling down the stairs, her arms were all black and blue.

Black Out

Meaning: To lose consciousness, or to erase something.
Usage: It can refer to a person fainting or temporarily losing their memory, or it can refer to censoring information.
Example: During the concert, she was so overwhelmed that she blacked out for a minute.

Blackball

Meaning: To reject or exclude someone socially; to vote against admitting someone into a club or group.
Usage: This idiom is often associated with a secretive or unanimous vote to exclude someone.
Example: The club members decided to blackball the applicant due to his controversial reputation.

In the Black

Meaning: Being profitable or financially solvent.
Usage: The term is typically used in a business context to indicate that a company is making more money than it spends.
Example: After years of struggle, the company is finally in the black this quarter.

Black Swan Event

Meaning: An unexpected and highly significant event, often with profound consequences.
Usage: The term is used in economics and finance to describe an unpredictable event that goes beyond what is normally expected and has potentially severe ramifications.
Example: The financial crisis of 2008 is considered a black swan event that few predicted.

To Give Someone a Black Look

Meaning: To look at someone in a disapproving or angry way.
Usage: This idiom is used to describe the act of expressing one’s displeasure or hostility with a stern facial expression.
Example: When he arrived late for dinner, his mother gave him a black look.

Black-hearted

Meaning: Describing someone wicked or cruel.
Usage: This term is used to describe a person’s character, indicating that they are malevolent or have ill intentions.
Example: The villain in the story was a black-hearted scoundrel who deceived everyone.

Black Comedy

Meaning: A genre of humor that makes light of subjects that are generally considered serious, taboo, or painful.
Usage: This term is used in entertainment and literature to describe a style of comedy that derives humor from the macabre or the uncomfortable.
Example: The film was a black comedy that dealt with themes of death and despair humorously.

Black Magic

Meaning: The use of supernatural powers for evil or selfish purposes.
Usage: The term is often associated with witchcraft, sorcery, and the occult.
Example: In many cultures, black magic is feared and shunned because it is believed to bring harm and misfortune.

Black and White

Meaning: Something very clear and easy to understand; a situation or issue that is seen as having only two sides or choices.
Usage: This idiom is often used to describe a situation where things are considered to be very clear-cut, without any grey areas or ambiguity.
Example: The contract terms were black and white, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Black Eye

Meaning: A bruise around the eye resulting from an injury.
Usage: It can be used both literally, to describe the physical mark, or metaphorically, to describe damage to someone’s reputation or image.
Example: The company’s reputation suffered a black eye after the scandal went public.

Black as Night

Meaning: Extremely dark or black.
Usage: This idiom is used to describe something very dark, often used for dramatic or poetic effect.
Example: The cave was as black as night, and we couldn’t see without our flashlights.

Black Hat Hacker Meaning

Meaning: A black hat hacker is someone who violates computer security for personal gain or malicious reasons.
Usage: The term is commonly used in the field of cybersecurity to differentiate between hackers who have unethical intentions and those who hack for ethical reasons (white hat hackers).
Example: The company’s security system was breached by a black hat hacker who stole sensitive customer data.

Be in Someone’s Black Book Meaning

Meaning: To be in someone’s black book means to be in disfavor or trouble with them, often because of something one has done.
Usage: It is used to indicate that a person is not in good standing with another person or a group, typically due to a transgression or a series of negative actions.
Example: After messing up the last three orders, John found himself in the boss’s black book.

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black Meaning

Meaning: The phrase “the pot calling the kettle black” is used to accuse someone of hypocrisy because they are criticizing someone else for a fault that they possess.
Usage: It is often employed when someone is being self-righteous or accusing another person of something that they are equally guilty of.
Example: When the lazy student criticized his classmate for not doing the homework, the teacher said it was the pot calling the kettle black.

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Jim Manheim

Jim Manheim is a highly skilled writer, editor, and teacher from Michigan, with a wealth of experience and expertise in the English language, including slang and idioms. He is widely recognized as a word geek and a music enthusiast, as well as a grammar and writing expert, with a passion for language that shines through in his work.