true blue

• true-blue

Refers to a symbolism of colour, dating to mediaeval times, in which blue represents loyalty, constancy, faithfulness and truth.[1]

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true blue (not comparable)

1. Steadfastly loyal or faithful, unwavering in loyalty.

   He was a true blue supporter, and would not listen to what he supposed to be the lies of the opposition.

   • 2007, Lainie Speiser, Threesomes: For Couples Who Want to Know More‎, page 158:

     On the other hand, their swing/three-way practices have made Tony one of the most true-blue mates one could have, an absolute dream for women, in fact.

   • 2010, Rachel Black, Blue Laws, entry in Alcohol in Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia, page 34,

     Or it may refer to “true blue” principles of Puritans—that is, unyielding and dogmatic.

   1. Patriotic.
2. Authentic, undoubtedly true; honest.
   • 1985 May 27, Steven Burke, Retailing: Dealers Install Non-IBM Parts, InfoWorld, page 20,

     Some upscale, service-oriented dealers say competitors are installing the third-party disk drives in PC XTs and passing them off as true blue PC XTs.

   • 2001 October 23, Ted Johnson, Reader Forum: The Ellen Show, The Advocate, page 4,

     Ellen′s honesty and true-blue down-to-earthness were riveting.

   • 2004, Paul Delany, Bill Brandt: A Life‎, page 99:

     That Lorant was Hungarian might have made Brandt even more wary, since he was in the process of being re-born as a true-blue Englishman and leaving the Hungarians of Montparnasse behind him.

   1. (Britain) Aristocratic by birth.
   2. (Australia, informal) Authentically Australian.
3. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see true,‎ blue.
   • 1996, Richard D. Bartlett, Richard D. Bartlett, Patricia Pope Bartlet, Frogs, Toads, and Tree Frogs, page 78,

     Second, some living caerulea are blue: A few display attractive shades of blue green or, more rarely, true blue.

   • 2010, Patti Polk, Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals‎, page 48:

     True blue chalcedony is uncommon and highly desirable as a lapidary material.

• (authentic, honest): dinky-di (Australian), dinkum (Australian)

true blue (countable and uncountable, plural true blues)

1. (countable) A faithful partisan.
2. (historical) A blue dye from Coventry, England, famous for not washing out.