Screeching/Screaming Blue Murder 🔵
Definition: To shout loudly and frantically, typically in pain, fear, or anger.
Origins: The term appears to be a playful twist on the French expletive “morbleu,” which itself is a softened form of “mort bleu,” translating to “blue murder.” According to the Hotten Dictionary of Slang (1859), it was defined as a desperate or alarming cry. By the late 1800s, the phrase had found its way into English usage, as noted by Dion Boucicault in a quotation cited by M. R. Booth’s “English Plays of the Nineteenth Century.”
Synonyms: Howl, shriek, yell, bellow, holler, bawl.
Antonyms: Whisper, murmur, mutter, murmur.
Humor-filled Quote: “She screamed blue murder as if she had just been told that discounts are no longer available on her favorite shoes!”
Suggested Literature and Media:
- Books: “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll (Fantastical adventures often inspire sensory imagery fitting for expletive evolution).
- Movies: “Home Alone” (Kevin screams in sheer terror and joy, summing up the essence of loud, emotion-filled outbursts).
- Songs: “Shout” by Tears for Fears (A literal shouting anthem).
- Poetry: “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe (Demonstrates Poe’s ability to evoke non-verbal screams and horror).
Modern Parallel: This expression is heard less in America compared to the more graphic “bloody murder,” which emerged around the same time but found more widespread usage, possibly due to its equally colorful and violent connotations.
And no matter how often you scream blue murder 🔵🔴, remember this wise sagacity from our fictional muse: “Words, after all, are the most powerful drugs used by mankind. Use them wisely and passionately.”
— Verity Lexicon, 2023
