Off color?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="off">off</span> <span word="color">color</span>” <span word="as">as</span> <span word="in">in</span>: <span word="That">That</span> <span word="joke">joke</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="color">color</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="Off">Off</span> <span word="color">color</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="literally">literally</span> <span word="OFF">OFF</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="normal">normal</span> <span word="Color">Color</span>.</p><p><span word="If">If</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="piece">piece</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="cloth">cloth</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="washed">washed</span> <span word="again">again</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="again">again</span>, <span word="its">its</span> <span word="color">color</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="wear">wear</span> <span word="off">off</span>, <span word="so">so</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="looks">looks</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="color">color</span>, <span word="i">i</span>.<span word="e">e</span>. <span word="pale">pale</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="faint">faint</span> <span word="looking">looking</span>.</p><p><span word="Similarly">Similarly</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="person">person</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="ill">ill</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="color">color</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="face">face</span> <span word="changes">changes</span>, <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="normal">normal</span> <span word="red">red</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="ruddy">ruddy</span> <span word="to">to</span>, <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="pale">pale</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="bloodless">bloodless</span>. <span word="Or">Or</span> <span word="colorless">colorless</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="sometimes">sometimes</span> <span word="say">say</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="off">off</span> <span word="color">color</span>.</p><p><span word="If">If</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="joke">joke</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="described">described</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="color">color</span>, <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="hand">hand</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="rude">rude</span> <span word="joke">joke</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="joke">joke</span> <span word="that">that</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="embarrassing">embarrassing</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="hear">hear</span>.</p><p><span word="Why">Why</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="rude">rude</span> <span word="joke">joke</span> <span word="described">described</span> <span word="as">as</span> “<span word="off">off</span> <span word="color">color</span>”, <span word="then">then</span>?</p><p><span word="Guess">Guess</span>.</p><p><span word="Yes">Yes</span>, <span word="presumably">presumably</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="joke">joke</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="bad">bad</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="listener">listener</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="pale">pale</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="face">face</span>. <span word="George">George</span> <span word="Bernard">Bernard</span> <span word="Shaw">Shaw</span> <span word="wrote">wrote</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="plays">plays</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="fellow">fellow</span> <span word="countrymen">countrymen</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="language">language</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="rough">rough</span>, <span word="rude">rude</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="crude">crude</span> (<span word="coarse">coarse</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="uneducated">uneducated</span>) <span word="that">that</span> <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="d">d</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sailor">sailor</span> <span word="blush">blush</span> <span word="whenever">whenever</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="speak">speak</span>.</p><p><span word="That">That</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="exaggerating">exaggerating</span> <span word="things">things</span> <span word="quite">quite</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bit">bit</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="sure">sure</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="point">point</span>. <span word="When">When</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sailor">sailor</span> <span word="blushes">blushes</span> (<span word="if">if</span> <span word="sailors">sailors</span> <span word="ever">ever</span> <span word="blush">blush</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="anything">anything</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="all">all</span>, <span word="rude">rude</span> <span word="jokes">jokes</span> <span word="included">included</span>) <span word="they">they</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="color">color</span> – <span word="the">the</span> <span word="normal">normal</span> <span word="color">color</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="face">face</span> <span word="turns">turns</span> <span word="reddish">reddish</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="short">short</span>, <span word="an">an</span> <span word="off">off</span>-<span word="color">color</span> <span word="joke">joke</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="listener">listener</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="hot">hot</span> <span word="red">red</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="face">face</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="green">green</span>, <span word="white">white</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="pale">pale</span>, <span word="either">either</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="embarrassment">embarrassment</span>, <span word="distain">distain</span>, <span word="astonishment">astonishment</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="anger">anger</span>.</p><p><span word="That">That</span> <span word="type">type</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="joke">joke</span>, <span word="of">of</span> <span word="course">course</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="inappropriate">inappropriate</span>.</p>
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