turn the air blue

Unleash profane tirades

To turn the air blue is to swear profusely or use extremely foul language, filling the atmosphere with obscenities: When he dropped the engine block on his foot, he turned the air blue.

The image suggests curse words so thick they visibly color the surrounding space.

Chiefly British.

Related

vulgarity · obscenity · invective · foul language · outburst · choice words · swear like a trooper · slang · colloquialism · anger · lose one's temper · blow a gasket · figurative expression · taboo · frustration · rage · idiom · utterance

Opposites
language propriety

turn the air bluemind one's language

Control inappropriate speech

keep it clean · sugarcoat · mince words · watch one's tongue · watch one's mouth

emotional expression style

turn the air bluekeep one's cool

Maintain emotional control

stay calm · keep a stiff upper lip · grin and bear it · count to ten · take a deep breath

Family

turn, turns, turned, turning, turner, turners, aired, airing, airless

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Timeless · Abstract · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG