每个人都有自己描述事情的方式，自己独特的表达方式。许多美国日常短语都是基于颜色的。
红色red是一种热情的颜色。美国人经常用red来表述热量。他们可能会说，对一些不公平的事情感觉到red hot。如果说red hot，说明他们对某件事情非常生气。许多墨西哥食品中含有的红色的小辣椒因为颜色和味道而被称做red hots。快节奏，声音很大的音乐受许多人的欢迎，他们可能会说这些音乐red hot（炽热），尤其是迪克西兰爵士乐。
粉红色颜色要淡一些。有时，人们会用in the pink来表示身体很健康。这个短语在美国首次使用是在20世纪初期。可能是因为许多婴儿出生时皮肤是粉红色的，表明他们身体很健康。
蓝色是比较凉的颜色。美国传统的布鲁斯音乐正好与爵士乐相反。布鲁斯音乐是比较舒缓，忧伤和高尚的。Duke Ellington和他的乐队录制了一首非常著名的歌曲——Mood Indigo——是关于深蓝色的。有一句歌词是这样的：“You ain’t been blue till you’ve had that Mood Indigo.”如果说一个人非常blue，说明他很忧伤。
绿色是草木的自然颜色。但是也可以用来描述人。如果有人感觉到胃不舒服，可能会说她感到有点green。船上的乘客如果由于海浪而晕船，他看上去可能也非常green。
有时候一个人可能会感到心烦意乱，因为他朋友有的好东西他没有，比如一辆新车。这个人可能会说他green with envy。如果他的朋友比他有更多的美钞或者说greenback，他可能会green with envy （十分妒忌）。美元被称为greenbacks，因为美钞的背面是绿色的。
黑色也经常用在短语中。人们经常将老出问题的一天称为a black day。发生重大灾难的一天也被称为a black day。现在blacklist（黑名单）是不合法的。但是，曾经有一段时间，一些企业拒绝雇佣黑名单上的人，因为他们属于某个不受欢迎的组织。
有时候，颜色也被用来描述一种处境。 brown out用来表示电力减少。电量需求过度时就会出现Brown outs。电力系统有时不能供应整个区的用电需求。二战期间经常发生Black outs。官方会下令关闭所有电灯，让敌机在黑夜中无法找到目标。
1．与green有关的习语
1) greenhorn指没有工作经验的人
Everyone in the firm looked on him as a greenhorn as he was fresh from university.
2)to be green (with envy)
Seeing her sister receive so many lovely presents, she was green with envy.妒忌
3)to have a green thumb有园艺技能或指有经验的，熟练的
Miss Jones has a green thumb. Her garden continues to produce long after our plants have died.
4) green light
Every time we invited her to a party, she has to ask her parents for the green light.
2．与red有关的习语
1) red tape 指手续繁杂，办事拖拖拉拉、不讲实际的坏风气
To improve work efficiency a lot of red tape should be cut.
2) see red 发怒，冒火
His father saw red when he learned what he had done at school.
3）in the red亏损，负债
They had to close down their factory because they were always in the red.
3) a red letter day 重大、重要的日子
Tomorrow will be a red letter day for them----they’re getting married.
3．与blue有关的习语
1) to feel blue 郁闷、烦闷
Upon bearing the bad news, he couldn’t help feeling blue all day long.
2) till all is blue 直到酩酊大醉，到极点
He drank alone in the bar till all was blue.
3) once in a blue moon 难得、千载难逢
He says he enjoys swimming, but we can only see him once in blue moon.
4）a bolt from the blue 晴天霹雳
The news of her mother’s death came as a bolt from the blue.
4．与white有关的习语
1) white lie 善意的谎言
I knew he was telling a white lie by saying that he enjoyed staying home with me.
2) white elephant 耗费钱财而没有实用价值的累赘物品
The expensive bike his uncle sent him as a birthday present is just a white elephant, for he is not in the least fond of cycling.
3) be white as a sheet
Seeing the man at the doorway, she turned white as a sheet.
5．与black有关的习语
1) to be in a black mood 阴郁的，情绪低落的
Seeing Mum in a black moon, no one dared say anything to her.
2) black and white 白纸黑字，写出或印出
They can’t distort anything that has been written in black and white.
3）black and blue
We were all frightened to find him black and blue all over.
3) in the black 赢利
They decided to hire more employees because the firm has been in the black and needed more hands.
6．与pink有关的习语
1) in the pink 非常健康
It’s nice to see the kids are all in the pink.