Etymology Journal ยท A
A blue million
Meaning
- A hyperbolic way of saying there is a massive amount of something. You will often hear it used to describe tasks left to do or items in a collection.
Folksy, emphatic
Used in a sentence
- I have a blue million things to do before my mother-in-law arrives.
- He has a blue million excuses for why he never cleans his room.
- There were a blue million mosquitoes at the lake yesterday.
The backstory
It is a folksy intensification that likely originated in the American South during the 19th century. The blue adds a layer of emphasis to the already large number.
Heard in
The South
Vibe check