turn the air blue

verb

To speak a stream of bad language; to curse and swear.

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Meanings

verbturn the air blue (third-person singular simple present turns the air blue, present participle turning the air blue, simple past and past participle turned the air blue)

present singular third person turns the air blue · participle present turning the air blue · participle past turned the air blue · past turned the air blue

  1. idiomaticTo speak a stream of bad language; to curse and swear.

    ... he then relieved his feelings by kicking the lot, collectively and separately, swearing continuously in a strain calculated to turn the air blue all around him.

    1893, Isabella Castelar, The Spanish Treasure: A Story of Love and the Love of Gold, page 228

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
curseswear
Cite this entry
APA

turn the air blue. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20the%20air%20blue

MLA

“turn the air blue.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20the%20air%20blue. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turn the air blue,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20the%20air%20blue.

Source: turn the air blue on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.