Why do they call redheads bluey

I have red hair S lang nickname for a redhead in Australia. I 'M just guessing,but maybe because there skin in so white you can see the blue veins!? I 've never heard "bluey" before. I had never heard that term until today when my Australian boss just told me it is my new nickname. I had no clue what he was talking about. Frankly I also do not understand how it makes any sense. N ever heard of that.

W ow this question's old but they're called that, simply, because blue is the opposite of red lol It's not a big mystery. I t originated from the Victorian Goldfields of the s - s. A large influx of Irish folk into the colony saw a good proportion of redheaded men trying their luck. They soon gained a reputation as hard drinkers, hellraisers, and fighters.

So much so that when a redheaded Irishman passed by, the comment followed "there goes a blue" i. Hence the name Blue, then naturally Bluey followed. This also explains why women with red hair are not called Bluey. Nosmo King. T hey are not. I have tried to follow ihis "Bluey" to its lair, but army nicknames have no certuinable parents. They are like Topsy, and they seem to accompany their owners, often their unhappy owners—as a sort of aura.

The Argus Melbourne, Vic. Strange, but while with his copper-coloured hair he responds cheerfully to the nickname of "Bluey," call him "Red" and he sees that colour vividly. Quite a number made a little god of Mr. Bluey noun used as a nickname for a red-haired person.

Ironic in origin. Australia, In the s, a large influx of immigrants arrived in Australia, hoping to make their fortunes in the gold fields. The Irish, many of whom were redheads, soon gained a reputation as hard drinkers and fighters.

A fight, in local slang, was a 'blue'. When a redheaded Irishman passed by, people would say, 'There goes a blue', and to this day, Australians often give their redheaded friends the nickname 'Bluey' while 'blue' is the general equivalent to 'pal', 'mate' or 'buddy'. In , when we were preparing to launch the airline in Australia, an Australian chef on Necker said to me 'Why not call it Virgin Blue? He suggested that Aussies would connect our upstart nature and the traditional red logo with the name Virgin Blue.

To highlight the play on words, we painted the planes a bold red. I can't find any other instance of "There goes a blue" in Google Books , nor in the Trove archive of Australian newspapers - or in any dictionaries. The OED has the verb as Australian and New Zealand slang from the quotations use blueing and blued , and a noun blue as Australian and New Zealand slang an argument, quarrel, fight, brawl from which they suggest may be from to turn the air blue , meaning to swear.

This is an example of a common tendency towards perverse sense of humor in Australian slang. Several sources attest to this. The nickname Blue for a redhead originated from the gold fields in the s.

An influx of Irish fellows - many of whom had red hair - were considered feisty - especially after drinking, and would be the instigators of fights a blue. Hence the catch cry - "There goes a blue" - when a redheaded Irishman passed. Problem with this is why is a fight called a blue? I was told it is because the skin of redheads is so pale you can see their blue veins through their skin. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top.

Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? I can confirm that Bluey is indeed a nickname for a redheaded man, although you rarely hear it now, so perhaps this should be cross-linked to stales's thread about Australian sayings that are dying out.

But I'd love someone to contribute more on the origin. I can tell you that this expression was the inspiration for the winning entry in a competition to find a name for Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines' fledgling Australian operation. Virgin On the Ridiculous, some say. Joined: Dec Joined: Nov Northamptonshire, England. Capital Kiwi. This use was quite common in New Zealand until a few years ago, probably imported from Oz.

See the thread on endangered strine expressions Re: Virgin Blue. New England, USA. Marty wrote : can tell you that this expression was the inspiration for the winning entry in a competition to find a name for Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines' fledgling Australian operation.

This is off the main thread Goodness, has that ever happened before? Regarding Virgin Airlines : why would you buy a ticket to fly somewhere on an airline whose very name guarantees it won't go all the way?

Welcome to the gutter, with open arms, wow! Perth, Western Australia. Ah the perennial Oz favourite!! Until a year or 2 ago, a learned Professor somebody had a regular slot on ABC public radio here in Perth - the focus of which was the strine language.

Thus everybody's personal favourite reason is just as valid as everybody elses. For what it's worth, I think it's a typical example of "opposites" humour my term - perhaps ironic is better?

Thus, quiet people are inevitably called "Rowdy", baldies get "Curly", the vertically challenged get "Lofty" whilst big buggers get "Tiny". I suspect the origins for all of these and this style of humour are found in Lunnon English. Moderated by Jackie.