Meanings
- UKespeciallyidiomaticuncountablegovernmentAn obvious, unambiguous divide between the policies of two parties.
I was of the view that there ought to be clear blue water between us and the Tories on this issue.
2011, Chris Mullin, A Walk-On Part4 more examples
It was the Conservatives' policy, designed in part to put some clear blue water between themselves and Labour and to refresh Conservative Party ideas.
2002, Anthony Forster, Euroscepticism in Contemporary British Politics, page 27But, Boyle's admission does put clear blue water between CC and the autonomist politics of another notorious commons enthusiast, Peter Linebaugh, who is also included in this chapter.
2010, Proud To Be Flesh[…] the Conservatives can still create clear blue water between them and Labour by showing how they prioritise the family over the State.
2011, Martin H. M. Steven, Christianity and Party Politics: Keeping the Faith, page 62Sitting on the bottom of both league tables - with clear blue water between it and the next worst operator - is Avanti West Coast.
2023 February 8, Sir Michael Holden, “Comment: Boom or bust: time to decide”, in RAIL, number 976, page 3
Origin
Introduced by the Conservative Party in the 1990s.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
clear blue water. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20blue%20water
“clear blue water.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20blue%20water. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clear blue water,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20blue%20water.
Source: clear blue water on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.