▪ I. yellow, a. and n.
(ˈjɛləʊ)
Forms: α. 1 ᵹelu, -o, ᵹeolu, ᵹeolo, ᵹiolu, ᵹeolw-, -uw-, -ew-, 2 ȝeoluw, ȝeolew, ȝeluw, 3 ȝeolu(h, ȝeleu, 4 ȝelew(e, ȝelugh(e, ȝelogh, ȝelowȝ, ȝelȝ, ȝelw, (ȝealwe), 4–5 ȝelwe, yelwe, ȝelou, ȝelow(e, 5 yelu, (ȝelwh(e, ȝelhew(e), 5–6 ȝellow, yelow(e, (6 ȝello, yelloo, yealow(e), 6–7 yellowe, (yeallow), 6– yellow (9 dial. and vulgar yeller). β. 2 ȝolewe, 4 ȝolȝe, yolwe, ȝolow, 5 yolgh, yolow, 5–6 yolowe, 6 yollow(e, yolo, 9 dial. yollo(w. γ. (chiefly Sc. and north. dial.) 4–5 ȝalou, 4–6 ȝalow, yalow, 5 ȝalowe, yalowe, ȝalwe, (ȝalo, yhalou), 5–7 ȝallow, 6 ȝallou, yallowe, (ȝallo, yalley), 7–9 dial. and vulgar yallow, (9 esp. U.S., yaller, yallah). δ. 4 yaulew, 6 yewlow, ewlow, yeolow, youlowe, jowllo.
[OE. ᵹeolu, -o = OS. gelo, (M)LG. gel, MDu. gel(e)u, geluw, geel (Du. geel, Flem. geluw, geelw, gilw), OHG. gelo, (MHG. gel, gelw-, G. gelb):—OTeut. *gelwa-:—Indo-eur. *ghelwo- (cf. L. helvus greyish yellow, Lith. želvas greenish).
For other derivatives of the Indo-eur. ghol-: ghel-: ghl-, see gall n.1, gold1, and cf. also L. holus vegetable, OIr. gel white, OSl. zelije cabbage, zelenŭ green, Skr. hári-, Zend zaranya- Pers. zer gold, ON. gulr yellow.]
A. adj.
1. a. Of the colour of gold, butter, the yolk of an egg, various flowers, and other objects; constituting one (the most luminous) of the primary colours, occurring in the spectrum between green and orange.
| α Beowulf 2610 Hond rond ᵹefeng, ᵹeolwe linde. c 700 Epinal Gloss. 242 Crocus, ᵹelu. c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) C 876 Crucus, ᵹelo. Ibid. F 219 Flabum, ᵹeolu. a 900 Leiden Riddle 10 Uyrmas mec ni auefun uyrdi cræftum, ða ði ᵹoelu godueb ᵹeatum fraetuath. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 51 Blake tadden..ȝeluwe froggen and crabben. Ibid. 53 Alswa doð monie of þas wimmen heo..claþeð heom mid ȝeoluwe claþe. c 1290 St. Eustace 182 in S. Eng. Leg. 398 With red heued, ȝeolu and crips. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3978 Þe ye þat ys ful of Iawnes, Alle þenkeþ hym ȝelogh yn hys auys. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 5881 Wyþ eȝene graye, and browes bent, And ȝealwe traces. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 675 This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex [v.rr. ȝelw, ȝelowe, ȝalowe]. 1431 Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1904) 27 Also j ȝelew cope of selk. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 537/1 Ȝelhwe of colure (K., H. ȝelwe, S. ȝelhewe, P. ȝelowe colowre). 1523–34 Fitzherb. Husb. §14 Red otes are the beste otes, and whan they be thresshed, they be yelowe in the busshell. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. ii. v. 166 Remember who commended thy yellow stockings, and wish'd to see thee euer crosse garter'd. 1610 ― Temp. i. ii. 376 Come vnto these yellow sands. 1630 Milton On May Morning 4 The yellow Cowslip, and the pale Primrose. 1784 Cowper Task vi. 302 King-cups in the yellow mead. 1855 H. Martineau Autobiog. (1877) I. 383 Yellow as a guinea. 1860 Fitz-Roy in Merc. Marine Mag. VII. 342 A bright yellow sky at sunset presages wind. |
| β c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 53 Þe ȝolewe frogge. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xxx. 32 Seuer alle thi speckid sheep, and with speckyd flese, and what euere ȝolow. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 192 Hir hed was ȝolow as wyre Of gold fyned wiþ fyre. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 579 Ek best are hennis blake, & werst ar white And good ar yolgh. 1540 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 107 The sparver of buckeram yolowe and rede. 1571 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 146 One maske was yolowe. 1828 Craven Gloss. 296 As yollo as a daffodowndilly. 1888 Sheffield Gloss., Yollow, yellow. |
| γ c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxix. (Placidas) 23 Quhen for elde..his tetht waxis ȝalou with-al. 1397 Priory of Finchale (Surtees) 117, j coopertorium cum rosys ȝalow. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) vii. 48 His Nekke is ȝalowe. 1483 Cath. Angl. 425/1 Ȝalowe, aureus. 1500 Ortus Vocab., Glaucus, ȝalo or yrne graye. 1535 Coverdale Jer. x. 9 Clothed with yalow sylck and scarlet. 1546 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 239 Too yalley coverlettes. 16.. Sir W. Mure Sonn. to Margareit ix. 10 Yallow curls of gold. 1863 Macm. Mag. Dec. 101 ‘Do you remember the lilies at Stanlake?’ .. ‘Acres on 'em,..Yallah ones as well.’ |
| δ 13.. Seuyn Sag. (W.) 477 Here yaulew here Out of the tresses sche hit tere. 1513 Inv. in Archaeologia LXVI. 343 A pece of youlowe lawne. 1541 Lanc. Wills (Chetham Soc.) I. 80, iij old ewlow quishens. 1550 Ibid. II. 103 A yewlow coverlet. 1591 Spenser Ruins of Time 10 Rending her yeolow locks. |
b. Of the complexion in age or disease; also as the colour of faded leaves, ripe corn, old discoloured paper, etc.; hence
allusively.
The phrase in
quot. 1605 has been
freq. echoed.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 106 Wiþ þære ᵹeolwan adle hune bisceop wyrt..menge þa togædere. Ibid. 348 Ᵹif him biþ ælfsoᵹoþa him beoþ þa eaᵹan ᵹeolwe þær hi reade beon sceoldon. ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 310 Sorowe, thought, and greet distresse,..Made hir ful yelwe [MS. yolare]. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 951 Bot vn-lyke on to loke þo ladyes were, For if þe ȝonge was ȝep, ȝolȝe was þat oþer. 1422 Yonge tr. Secr. Secr. 222 Yolow coloure in the face meddelite with palnesse. 1590 Greene Never too late Wks. (Grosart) VIII. 225 The riping corne growes yeolow in the stalke. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. ii. 204 Haue you not a moist eye? a dry hand? a yellow cheeke? a white beard? c 1600 ― Sonn. civ. 5 Three Winters colde, Haue from the forrests shooke three summers pride, Three beautious springs to yellow Autumne turn'd. 1605 ― Macb. v. iii. 23 My way of life Is falne into the Seare, the yellow Leafe. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 435 The green Eare, and the yellow Sheaf. 1730–46 Thomson Autumn 1322 When Autumn's yellow lustre gilds the world. 1817 Byron Beppo xcii, No, I never Saw a man grown so yellow! How's your liver? 1824 ― ‘'Tis time this heart’ ii, My days are in the yellow leaf. 1836 Dickens Sk. Boz, Sentiment, ‘The Misses Crumpton’ were..very upright, and very yellow. 1847 Emerson Repr. Men, Shakespeare Wks. (Bohn) I. 358 They [sc. the Shakespeare Society] have left..no file of old yellow accounts to decompose..to discover whether the boy Shakespeare poached. 1849 James Woodman vii, The yellow autumn time of the year. |
† c. With allusion to the use of yellow starch (coloured with saffron).
Obs.| 1614 T. Tomkis Albumazar ii. i. (1615) D j, Trincalo, what price beare's wheate, and Saffron, that your band's so stiffe and yellow? 1616 B. Jonson Devil is an Ass i. i, Car-men Are got into the yellow starch. 1619 Rich Irish Hubbub 4 Yellow bands are become so common, to euery young giddy-headed Gallant, and light-heel'd Mistresse, that me thinks a man should not hardly be hanged without a yellow band, a fashion so much in vse with the vaine fantasticke fooles of this age. a 1626 Middleton Widow v. i, That Suit..will disgrace my Masters fashion for ever, and make it as hatefull as yellow bands. c 1645 [see starch n. 1]. |
d. Having a naturally yellowish skin or complexion: applied chiefly (often somewhat depreciatorily) to persons of Asiatic,
esp. Oriental, origin, but also in the
U.S. to persons of mixed white and Black origin and (
freq. as
yaller) to light-skinned Blacks.
In modern use also
transf. in
yellow peril and similar phrases, denoting a supposed danger that the Asiatic peoples will overwhelm the white, or overrun the world.
| 1787 Asiatick Researches (1790) II. 2 That the Turks have any just reason for holding the coast of Yemen to be a part of India, and called its inhabitants Yellow Indians. 1834 [see Mongolian a. 2]. 1834 Sun (N.Y.) 20 Mar. 2/2 A huge looking ‘yaller gall’ was hammering away at the eyes of a small white man.., because he called her a snow ball. 186. Amer. Song, ‘Cheer up Sam’ i, I lov'd a dark-eyed yellow girl, And thought that she lov'd me. 1888 L. A. Smith Music of Waters 37 Oh, sigh her up, my yaller gals. 1892 E. Reeves Homeward Bound 5 The ‘yellow agony’, as the Chinese, the best market gardeners in the world, are called. 1900 Daily News 21 July 3/5 The ‘yellow peril’ in its most serious form. 1910 Encycl. Brit. IX. 851/1 Mongolic or Yellow Man prevails over the vast area lying east of a line drawn from Lapland to Siam. 1913 Punch 19 Feb. 138/3 Believers in the Yellow Peril who wish everyone else to realise the importance of that menace are proposing to bring it home by means of All Yellow Suppers. 1927 [see monkey-man s.v. monkey n. 18 a]. 1937 C. Himes Black on Black (1973) 141 The nervous profile of the driver bent low over the wheel. A yellow nigger. 1942 Z. N. Hurston in A. Dundes Mother Wit (1973) 28/2, I done slept with yaller women. 1956 J. Barth Floating Opera xxviii. 268 Ah fails to unnerstan' How a wuthless, shif'less dahkie such as you, sah, Kin conglomerate de money fo' a Caddylac sedan, Jest to keep yo' yaller gal fren' sweet and true, sah. 1966 Listener 17 Mar. 401/1 The setting is..England now, with a cold war and a yellow peril. 1977 C. McCullough Thorn Birds xv. 348 But Japan was Asia, part of the Yellow Peril poised like a descending pendulum above Australia's rich, empty, underpopulated pit. |
e. Applied to naval captains retired as rear admirals in H.M. Fleet without being attached to a particular squadron (red, white, or blue). (
Cf. yellow v.
1 2 c.)
| 1788 Parl. Hist. XXVII. 22 An establishment planned in 1747, for the maintenance and support of such officers as were passed by in a promotion of captains to flags, and this was the first (as it was commonly called) of Yellow admls. 1854 De Quincey War Wks. 1862 IV. 264 That's a sort of plagiarism from Themistocles... I have as good a right to the words..as that most classical of yellow admirals. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Yellow-admiral, a retired post-captain, who, not having served his time in that rank, is not entitled to his promotion to the active flag. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 11 July 1/2 For the remainder of those in the senior rank there is..a prospect of their attaining the rank of flag officer with the ‘yellow’ attachment. |
f. transf. Dressed in yellow.
| 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair lxvi, The yellow postillion was cracking his whip gently. |
2. fig. † a. Affected with jealousy, jealous. (
Cf. jaundiced 3.) Also in allusive phrases, as
to wear yellow hose = to be jealous.
Obs.| 1602 Middleton Blurt, Master Constable v. ii, Ha, ha, ha; by my ventoy (yellow Lady) you take your marke improper. 1607 Dekker & Webster Northw. Hoe i. Wks. 1873 III. 14 Iealous men are eyther Knaues or Coxcombes, bee you neither: you weare yellow hose without cause. 1623 Massinger Dk. Milan iv. ii, If I were The Duke..I should weare yellow breeches. 1632 Massinger & Field Fatal Dowry iii. i, If my Lord Bee now growne yellow. 1665 R. Brathwait Comm. Two Tales (1900) 47 Your yellow humour interprets this to be too much familiarity. c 1680 Roxb. Ball. (1874) II. 61 Why, therefore, Shouldst thou deplore, Or weare stockings that are yellow? c 1680 Man's Felicity xiii, My Wife will wear no yellow hose. 1812 J. H. Vaux Flash Dict., Yellow, jealous; a jealous husband is called a yellow gloak. 1858 H. Aïdé Rita xvi, Well, the filly's cut you out, Rita: won in a canter, you see! You've got to wear the yellow shoes, and all your own fault. |
b. Craven, cowardly.
colloq. (
orig. U.S.).
| 1856 in P. T. Barnum Struggles & Triumphs (1869) 400 We never thought your heart was yellow. 1918 J. M. Grider War Birds (1927) 264 One of our noblest he-men, a regular fire-eater to hear him tell it, has turned yellow at the front. 1932 E. Wallace When Gangs came to London xv. 121 The yellow jury..acquitted 'em on a murder charge. 1950 J. Agee in Botteghe Oscure VI. 392 Then something happened that made me know I was scared of them and I admitted to myself: I'm yellow. 1974 Guardian 30 Jan. 24/3 It frightens me when moderate voices are taken to be from weak and yellow men. 1977 ‘O. Jacks’ Autumn Heroes xiv. 203 You're yellow scum. You'll fight when the odds are with you. |
c. Of or pertaining to an organization, a policy, or to persons opposed to militant action by a trade union or trade unions. See also
yellow union, sense C. 1 e below.
| 1913 J. A. Estey Revolutionary Syndicalism ii. 47 The so-called syndicats jaunes, or yellow syndicats, formed in the interest of employers for the purpose of strike-breaking. 1920 Glasgow Herald 12 Sept. 7 The railwaymen..will be content to follow the lead of the General Confederation of labour and stick to the Amsterdam International, which the dictators of Russia have labelled ‘yellow’—that is to say ‘blackleg’. Ibid. 24 Nov. 8/3 The Russian Soviet Republic has insolently rejected it as ‘a Congress of yellow leaders who continually betray the fundamental interests of the Labour movement’. 1922 B. G. de Montgomery Brit. & Continental Labour Policy vi. 58 The bus-traffic and road-transport were organized by the members of the ‘yellow’ or anti-strike syndicates, and by the bourgeois class. 1939 A. Philip in H. A. Marquand Organized Labour in Four Continents 51 The Confederation of Professional Unions, a ‘yellow’ organization benefiting from employer support. 1972 G. L. Mosse in Jrnl. Contemp. Hist. VII. 206 France was regarded as the classical land of yellow trade unionism. |
3. (
orig. U.S.) Applied to newspapers (or writers of newspaper articles) of a recklessly or unscrupulously sensational character.
A use derived from the appearance in 1895 of a number of the
New York World in which a child in a yellow dress (‘The Yellow Kid’) was the central figure of the cartoon, this being an experiment in colour-printing designed to attract purchasers.
| 1898 Daily News 2 Mar. 7/2 The yellow Press is for a war with Spain, at all costs. 1898 E. Banks in 19th Cent. Aug. 328 All American journalism is not ‘yellow’, though all strictly ‘up-to-date’ yellow journalism is American! Ibid. 332 Its [sc. New York Journal] Sunday editions, with its ‘yellow kids’ and ‘blackberry blossoms’ and various other ‘special features’. 1902 ― Newspaper Girl xviii, The very first thing I was asked to do in the line of ‘yellow’ work was to walk along Broadway at midnight and ‘allow’ myself to be arrested. 1906 Times (weekly ed.) 9 Nov. 714 The President of the United States sent his Secretary of State to New York to throw the whole weight of Mr. Roosevelt's..authority and influence against the ‘yellow’ candidate [sc. Hearst]. |
4. Of or pertaining to a political party whose colour is yellow.
Cf. sense 4 of the
n.| 1834 F. Witts Diary 12 Aug. (1978) 97 The respective parties mustered when the poll was over at their head⁓quarters, the Bell Hotel being the Blue house and the King's Head the yellow. 1874 Trollope Phineas Redux I. ii. 14 He remained there for three or four days..staying at the ‘Yellow’ inn. |
B. n. 1. a. The colour described in
yellow a. 1, or a shade, pigment, fabric, or stuff of this colour.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3446 Ȝelugh vnder ȝelugh þey hyde. c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 82 His colour was bitwixe yelow [v.r. ȝelw] and reed. 1396–7 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 214 [Hangings] cum avibus de yalow. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5462 All hor colouris to ken were of clene yalow. c 1450 in Maitl. Club Misc. III. 199 Courtenes of singill worsat palyt of red and grein and yhalou. c 1532 in E. Law Hampton Crt. Palace (1885) 363 For 4000 flemyshe pavyng tyll of grene and jowllo. 1541 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 135 A crose of yolowe opone his brest. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 227 Quene Anne ware yelowe for the mournyng. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 133 b, The sicknesse of the Gall..is also discerned by the browne yellowes vnder the vpper lippe. 1600 Nashe Summer's Last Will B 3 b, Wks. (Grosart) VI. 94 To weare the blacke and yellow [rime followe]. 1609 B. Jonson Silent Wom. i. iv, Wee doe beare for our Coat Yellow, or Or, checker'd Azure, and Gules. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII Prol. 16 A long Motley Coate, garded with Yellow. 1633 Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. (ed. 3) §54, I doe not like these reds, and blewes, and yellowes, amongst these plaine stalkes and eares. c 1665 in Verney Mem. (1907) II. 275 Ribband knots for her head of sky collor, or yallow. 1715 Addison Freeholder No. 10. 60 When he appear'd in Yellow, his Great Men hid themselves in Corners. 1824 Miss Mitford Village Ser. i. (1863) 58 The narrow lane bordered with elms, whose fallen leaves have made the road one yellow. 1859 Gullick & Timbs Painting 224 The ochres are the most permanent yellows. 1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat vii, His complexion is too dark for yellows. Yellows don't suit him. |
b. With qualifying words, denoting different shade of the colour, as
brass-yellow,
bronze-yellow,
canary-yellow,
gold-yellow,
Isabella-yellow,
lemon-yellow,
primrose-yellow,
rust-yellow,
straw-yellow,
sulphur- (etc.) yellow, or various pigments and dyes, as
aniline y.,
Chinese y.,
cobalt y.,
imperial y.,
Indian y.,
King's y.,
Mars y.,
Naples y.,
strontian y., etc., for which see the first element.
| 1532 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. VI. 23 Tway elnis franche ȝallow to lyne the said cote. 1794 Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) I. 89 Isabella yellow. 1805–17 R. Jameson Char. Min. (ed. 3) 69 Brass-yellow, gold-yellow, and bronze-yellow. 1831–3 Barlow in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 539/1 A yellow termed rust yellow is made with acetate of iron thickened with gum for light yellows. 1899 Daily News 29 Dec. 5/1 Martius's yellow. This substance has many an alias, some alluring, some otherwise, golden yellow, Manchester yellow, saffron yellow, nap[h]thalene yellow. |
† c. allusively, as the colour attributed to jealousy:
cf. A. 2.
Obs.| 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. ii. iii. 107 If thou hast The ordering of the Mind too, mongst all Colours No Yellow in't. |
d. Cowardice.
Cf. sense 2 b of the
adj. above.
| 1896 G. Ade Artie vi. 57 This is how I found that streak of yellow in him. 1914 B. M. Bower Flying U Ranch 146, I was just b'ginnin' to think this bunch was gitting all streaked up with yeller. |
2. a. Denoting various objects of a yellow colour, as the yolk of an egg, the stigmas of the saffron crocus (
quot. 1587), a yellow carriage (
quot. 1833), or any yellow substance, as sulphur (
quot. 1649), gold (
U.S.), old faded paper; also
ellipt. for a yellow variety of any flower, fruit, root, etc.
| c 700 Epinal Gloss. 429 Fitilium [Erfurt vitellus], æᵹerᵹelu. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 22 Ᵹenim æᵹes þæt ᵹeoluwe & meng lythwon wið huniᵹ. Ibid. 130 Banwyrt do on sure fletan & on huniᵹ æᵹes ᵹeola, meng tosomne, smire mid. 1587 Harrison England iii. viii. 232/2 in Holinshed, In euerie floure [of saffron] we finde commonlie three chiues, and three yellowes. 1649 Woodstock Scuffle xxiv, The men were frighted, and did smell O' th' yellow. 1738 G. C. Deering Cat. Stirp. 149 Napus sylvestris..the Country People here call them the Yellows. 1833 T. Hook Parson's Dau. ii. vii, The arrival..of Lady Frances Sheringham herself and her maid, in a ‘yellow and two’. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 14 The yellows [sc. turnips] then follow, and last for about 2 months. a 1845 Syd. Smith in Lady Holland Mem. (1855) I. 373 To make this condiment, your poet begs The pounded yellow of two hard-boil'd eggs. 1849 Cupples Green Hand xvi, As he [sc. the aged Negro] sat..leering out of the yellows of his eyes. 1858 Pike's Peak Guide Bk. 329 We commenced sending prospecting parties into the mountains, but they returned every night with ‘nary yellow’. 1886 C. Scott Sheep-farming 43 Yellows or swedes. 1901 M. E. Ryan That Girl Montana xviii. 227 She would watch some strange miner dig and wash the soil in his search for the precious yellow. |
b. A particular yellow species or variety of bird, butterfly (
= sulphur 5 a), or moth.
| 1816 Stephens in Shaw Gen. Zool. IX. ii. 464 [American Gold-finches] are called York Yellows. 1855 Poultry Chron. II. 515 Tumblers, Blues, Blacks, Silver, Yellows. 1880 A. H. Swinton Insect Variety 51 Our English Clouded Yellows. 1896 W. F. Kirby Handbk. Order Lepidopt. II. 214 Both our Clouded Yellows are very rare in Scandinavia. |
c. A yellow ball used in the game of snooker.
| 1910 Encycl. Brit. III. 938/2 If it is pocketed, the player scores one and is at liberty to play on any of the coloured balls; though in some clubs he is compelled to play on the yellow. 1950 L. H. Dawson Hoyle's Games Modernized iii. 346 At the beginning of the game [of snooker] Yellow is placed on the right-hand corner of the D. 1977 Cleethorpes News 6 May 29/4 After potting the yellow he more or less forced Barnes to take green, brown and blue. |
d. A golden Labrador.
| 1945 C. L. B. Hubbard Observer's Bk. Dogs 97 As long as we have bred Labradors we have had yellows. 1973 Country Life 8 Feb. (Suppl.) 325/1 Some of the yellows were a light creamy colour. |
3. A person with a naturally yellowish skin or complexion (see A. 1 d). Only
pl. (
Cf. black,
white.) See also
high yellow s.v. high a. 21. (Somewhat
depreciatory.)
| 1808 C. Schultz Jr. Trav. (1810) II. 198 In attending to the amusements of the whites, the yellows, and the blacks, I had almost forgotten to mention the reds. 1886 Cornh. Mag. July 50 The ‘whites’ have made a complete surrender to the ‘yellows’. 1901 19th Cent. May 837 If they [sc. Japanese] are to colonise at all they must colonise among the yellows and the blacks. |
4. As the colour of a party badge; hence
transf. an adherent of a party whose colour is yellow.
| 1755 Gentl. Mag. Aug. 339/2 The blues being in the old interest, and the yellows in the new. 1868 Holme Lee B. Godfrey li, He would not vote yellow. 1881 [see blue n. 8]. |
5. A ‘yellow’ journal or writer: see A. 3.
| 1898 Daily News 27 July 5/7 This deliberate attempt to stir up animosities..is worthy of ‘the yellows’ at their worst. 1901 Scribner's Mag. Apr. 408/2 The killing at the Vulcan Shops made the yellows froth head-lines. |
6. ellipt. for
yellow alert, sense C. 1 e below.
| 1940 Mass-Observation Archive 1 Aug. in Calder & Sheridan Speak for Yourself (1984) iii. 78 Soon after eleven we were remarking that it was time we got the yellow, when the telephone went. 1943 [see red n.1 8]. 1949 [see alert n. 1 b]. 1978 ‘G. Vaughan’ Belgrade Drop xiii. 84 President Turner had been in touch with the other Nato head of state and their forces had gone on yellow. |
{astm} For specialized uses of the plural in singular sense, see
yellows.
C. Collocations and Combinations.
1. Special collocations.
a. In names of species or varieties of animals distinguished by their yellow colour or colouring: as
yellow ant,
yellow baboon,
yellow bass,
yellow bittern,
yellow boa,
yellow chatterer,
yellow fly,
yellow fly-catcher,
yellow grosbeak,
yellow Labrador,
yellow perch,
yellow redpoll,
yellow tanager,
yellow underwing,
yellow wagtail,
yellow warbler,
yellow weasel,
yellow woodpecker,
yellow yite, for which see the
ns.; also
yellow-bob, a shrike-robin,
Eopsaltria australis, found in forested areas of south-eastern Australia;
Yellow Sally, name for a species of stone-fly used as a bait by anglers;
yellow snake, one of several yellowish snakes,
esp. a boa,
Epicrates subflavus, found in the West Indies;
yellow warbler, one of several North American warblers of the genus
Dendroica; see also
yellow-bird,
yellow-fish,
yellow-hammer.
b. In names of plants distinguished by having flowers (or sometimes fruit, wood, etc.) of a yellow colour: as
yellow archangel,
yellow balsam,
yellow bedstraw,
yellow bugle,
yellow camomile,
yellow centaury,
yellow cress,
yellow crocus,
yellow daffodil,
yellow dead-nettle,
yellow fir,
yellow flag,
yellow gentian,
yellow gilliflower,
yellow gold (
gold2),
yellow gowan,
yellow jasmine,
yellow loosestrife,
yellow medick,
yellow ox-eye,
yellow pearmain,
yellow pimpernel,
yellow pine,
yellow poppy,
yellow rattle,
yellow rocket,
yellow rose,
yellow sedge,
yellow succory,
yellow sultan,
yellow thistle,
yellow vetch,
yellow vetchling,
yellow water-cress,
yellow water-lily, for which see the
ns.; also
yellow bean, the yellow seeds of one of several varieties of soya bean;
yellow birch, a North American tree,
Betula lutea, which has yellow or grey bark;
yellow box, an Australian gum-tree,
Eucalyptus melliodora, which has yellowish inner bark;
yellow cedar = Nootka cypress s.v. Nootka a. 2;
yellow poplar, one of several North American softwood trees or their wood,
esp. the tulip-tree,
Liriodendron tulipifera;
yellow-weed, (
a)
dial. dyer's-weed,
Reseda Luteola; (
b) common ragwort,
Senecio Jacobæa; (
c) in
U.S. a name for some species of golden-rod (
Solidago);
yellow-wort, a gentianaceous plant,
Chlora perfoliata, having bright yellow flowers and yielding a yellow dye; yellow centaury;
yellow yam, one of several species of
Dioscorea producing yellow-fleshed tubers; also, the tubers themselves.
c. In names of minerals, and of chemical or other products, of a yellow colour: as
yellow arsenic,
yellow copper,
yellow copperas,
yellow corallin,
yellow jasper,
yellow lake (
lake n.6 3),
yellow ochre,
yellow orpiment,
yellow quartz,
yellow sandalwood,
yellow sanders,
yellow ultramarine,
yellow wash,
yellow wax, for which see the
ns.; also
yellow bark, any variety of Peruvian bark of a yellow colour, as Calisaya bark;
yellow berries, the fruit of
Rhamnus infectorius and other species, yielding a yellow dye; also called
Persian berries;
yellow deal, the wood of the Scotch fir,
Pinus sylvestris;
yellow earth,
† (
a) a generic term for minerals or ‘earths’ of a yellow colour; (
b) a yellowish clay, coloured by iron, used as a pigment; a variety of bole;
yellow ground, kimberlite that is exposed at the surface and has become yellow as a result of atmospheric oxidation;
yellow jack = yellow jacket (
b), sense C. 2 c;
yellow metal, an alloy of two parts of copper and one of zinc, used for sheathing vessels;
yellow ore, yellow copper ore, copper pyrites (see
copper n.1 12);
yellow phosphorus = white phosphorus s.v. white a. 11 c;
yellow share, ?
n. or a. (?
obs.) [
cf. redshire, -share], a name or epithet for a brittle or friable iron ore (see
quot.);
yellow soap, a common soap made of tallow, rosin, and soda; hence
yellow-soap v. trans. (
nonce-wd.), to wash or rub with yellow soap;
yellow ware, yellow earthenware or stoneware;
yellow wove (see
quot.).
d. In names of diseases characterized by yellowness of the skin, or of some tissue, secretion, etc.: as
yellow jaundice (see
jaundice),
yellow softening,
yellow typhus;
(acute) yellow atrophy, ‘atrophy and yellow discoloration of the liver with jaundice’ (Dorland
s.v. Atrophy);
† yellow evil, jaundice, or (
app.) some epidemic disease of which jaundice was a symptom;
yellow gum, jaundice in infants, characterized by yellowness of the gums;
yellow Jack,
yellow jack, a slang name for yellow fever;
yellow plague = yellow evil;
yellow sickness, (
a)
= prec.; (
b) a disease of hyacinth-plants (see
quot. 1887);
† yellow sought [
sought n.], jaundice: see also
yellow fever.
e. Miscellaneous:
yellow admiral (see A. 1 e);
yellow alert, an instruction to be prepared for or an initial state of readiness to cope with an emergency (
cf. red alert s.v. red a. 19 a);
yellow badge, a badge of identification that Jews have sometimes been required to wear,
esp. by the Nazis in Germany (
cf. yellow star below);
yellow band, a mark on a lamp-post to indicate that motor vehicles are not permitted to wait in the vicinity;
freq. attrib.; also
= yellow line below;
yellow belt, the belt worn by one who has attained a certain standard of proficiency in judo (see
quots.);
yellow book, (
a) an official report of government affairs in various European countries; (
b) a report issued by the Liberal Party in 1928 on the industrial future of Britain;
yellow card, in Association Football, a card shown by the referee to a player when he is cautioned;
yellow cartilage Anat., cartilage containing
yellow fibres, elastic cartilage;
yellow cell Biol., one of the small yellow bodies found in many radiolarians, now held to be symbiotic algæ;
yellow dirt, a contemptuous appellation for gold;
yellow fibre Anat., one of the elastic fibres of a yellow colour occurring in certain tissues (so
yellow fibrous tissue = yellow tissue);
yellow flag, a flag of a yellow colour displayed on board ship, formerly as a signal of capital punishment, now as a signal of infectious disease or of quarantine, and hoisted in war time on hospitals, etc.;
Yellow George (see
George 4 b);
† yellow jacket, a military decoration in imperial China (
obs. exc. Hist.);
yellow jersey [
tr. F.
maillot jaune], a jersey awarded to the winner of (a stage of) a cycle race,
esp. the
Tour de France;
yellow leaf, used (in allusion to
quot. 1605) to refer to the process of ageing;
yellow light U.S. a yellow-coloured cautionary light in traffic signals (
cf. amber a. b); also
fig.;
yellow line, a yellow road-marking,
usu. parallel to the kerb, indicating that parking of motor vehicles is restricted (though local regulations vary); also
double yellow line, indicating that parking is forbidden;
yellow-man,
† (
a) a yellow silk handkerchief (
slang); (
b) person with naturally yellowish skin or complexion (see A. 1 d);
yellow pages n. pl. orig. U.S., an index printed on yellow paper;
spec. the classified section of or supplement to a telephone directory, listing firms, products, and services;
yellow peril (see A. 1 d);
yellow press (see A. 3);
Yellow Pressman, a journalist or reporter working for the yellow press (
cf. sense 3 of the
adj.);
yellow rain = sulphur rain (see
sulphur n. 8); a yellow powder reported as falling through the air in
S.E. Asia and causing severe blistering and sometimes death;
yellow rust, a disease of wheat caused by the fungus
Puccinia glumarium;
yellow spot Anat., a yellowish circular depression in the middle of the retina, being the region of most distinct vision;
= macula lutea s.v. macula 2;
yellow star, a piece of yellow cloth bearing the Magen David, which the Nazis required Jews to wear;
yellow stick (see
quots.);
yellow streak, a trait of cowardice;
yellow tissue Anat., tissue containing
yellow fibres, elastic tissue;
yellow union [
tr. F.
syndicat jaune:
cf. sense 2 c of the
adj. above] a union of workers favouring free enterprise and usually opposed to strike action;
yellow warning = yellow alert above. See also
yellow-boy.
| 1968 Punch 28 Aug. 279/1 NATO forces had quickly been placed on ‘*Yellow Alert’. 1969 Times 17 Sept. 1/8 A yellow alert..on hospital beds..means that all cases not in need of immediate attention will not be admitted to hospitals. 1978 ‘G. Vaughan’ Belgrade Drop iii. 23 The United States president.. put his missile submarines throughout the world on yellow alert. |
| 1815 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. x. (1818) I. 310 Piso speaks of *yellow ants called Cupiá inhabiting Brazil. 1864–5 Wood Homes without H. vii. (1868) 129 The common Yellow Ant (Formica flava) so abundant in marshes and gardens. |
| 1845 Budd Dis. Liver 204 The *yellow atrophy is distinguished by a deep yellow colour; imbibition of the whole tissue of the organ with bile [etc.]. |
| 1876 Geo. Eliot Daniel Deronda III. v. xxxvii. 127 To Deronda just now the name Cohen was equivalent to the ugliest of *yellow badges. 1892 I. Zangwill Childr. Ghetto l. 2 People who have been living in a ghetto for a couple of centuries are not able..to efface the brands on their souls by putting off the yellow badges. 1942 I. Cohen Jews in War iii. 31 The Yellow Badge The crowning device for humiliating the Jews was the revival of a mediæval practice. In October 1941, a decree was issued requiring them to wear a yellow armlet marked with the ‘Shield of David’, which the Jews of Poland had been wearing for the past two years. 1962 Bridger & Wolk New Jewish Encycl. 38/1 (caption) The yellow badge the Nazis required Jews to wear in Germany and Nazi-occupied countries. |
| 1948 Times 13 May 2/3 When the no-waiting order was first introduced in the West End it was announced that permanent signs would be erected as soon as the materials were available, the *yellow bands being temporary. 1959 Times 8 Dec. 5/6 Vast numbers of cars..are left at the kerbside all day in all parts of central London except the yellow-band streets. 1962 R. Jeffries Exhibit No. Thirteen iv. 36 Parked my car in a yellow-band area. 1967 R. Rendell Wolf to Slaughter ii. 17 The car drew up... ‘Not on the yellow band, Drayton,’ Burden said sharply. |
| 1796 Nemnich Polygl.-Lex. 960 *Yellow bark. 1837, 1875 [see calisaya]. 1838 Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 802 The yellow bark is the most employed, and most highly esteemed in this country. It is the bark of the cinchona cordifolia of Mutis. |
| 1888 Goode Amer. Fishes 33 Another species which closely resembles the Striped Bass is the Morone interrupta, generally known as the *Yellow Bass. |
| 1965 H. Burke Chinese Cooking for Pleasure 150 In small cans are bamboo shoots,..red bean curd, black bean, *yellow soy bean, [etc.]. 1972 Claiborne & Lee Chinese Cookbk. (1973) xi. 422 Bean Sauce... Also called ‘Whole Bean Sauce’ or ‘Yellow Bean Sauce’, this thick sauce is made from yellow beans, flour, and water and is sold in..tins. 1983 Observer 16 Jan. (Colour Suppl.: Living Extra) 7/4 Black beans..and yellow beans..are both products of the versatile soya bean. |
| 1941 M. Feldenkrais Judo 166 A white belt is worn by beginners, corresponding to the sixth Kyu. The next grade, the fifth, is indicated by a *yellow belt. 1979 Observer Mag. 17 June 39/1 For several years he went to judo classes, reached yellow-belt standard (three below black belt). |
| 1712 tr. Pomet's Hist. Drugs I. 13 The *Yellow Berry is the Fruit of a Shrub which Authors call Licium. 1812 J. Smyth Pract. Customs (1821) 46 Yellow Berries are the fruit of a species of Lycium, growing plentifully in different parts of France... It is much used by the Dyers and Painters. |
| 1787 W. Sargent in Mem. Amer. Acad. IX. 158 Black and *Yellow Birch... The bark of the latter is used by the Indians for making canoes. 1851 J. S. Springer Forest Life 23 The general outlines of the Yellow Birch often resemble the Elm. 1943 R. Peattie Great Smokies 156 A yellow birch on Whitetop Mountain was found to be seven feet three inches thick. 1974 M. Braithwaite Ontario xi. 169 Hemlock, oak, maple, and yellow birch, they were all there, just waiting to be cut down and sawed up into lumber. |
| 1909 A. E. Mack Bush Calendar 68 Then a *yellow-bob came to visit us. 1965 Austral. Encycl. VII. 470/1 Another common and familiar bird is the yellow robin (‘yellowbob’) of eastern Australia, a species with a breast of bright yellow. |
| 1883 Pall Mall Gaz. 5 Dec. 8/1 Paris, Dec. 5.—The first volume of the new *Yellow-book on Tonkin affairs. 1897 Times 23 Nov. 5/1 The Berliner Neueste Nachrichten reminds the French Republic that..in former Yellow-books there is plenty of evidence to show how generous was the help afforded by Germany to France. 1929 D. Lloyd George We can conquer Unemployment 3 In the ‘Yellow Book’, published a year ago, the Liberal Industrial Enquiry presented exhaustive proposals for dealing with the grave unemployment situation with which Britain was, and is still, faced. 1949 Time (Atlantic ed.) 14 Feb. 18/1 The Communists issued a ‘Yellow Book’ containing what they called Mindszenty's written confession. 1983 Daily Tel. 24 Nov. 18/4 Had the Liberal Yellow Book been published in 1920 our history might have been different. |
| 1877 F. von Mueller Introd. to Bot. Teaching at Schools of Victoria 15 This tree passes by the very unapt vernacular name *Yellow Box-tree. 1934 Bulletin (Sydney) 31 Jan. 21/2 We lop mainly yellow box. 1977 Meanjin (Austral.) XXXVI. i. 71 I'll..split off kindling wood From the yellow-box log. |
| 1776 Pennant Brit. Zool. I. 276 *Yellow Bunting..; the crown of the head is of a pleasant pale yellow. |
| 1548 Turner Names Herbes (E.D.S.) 14 The secund [kind of Camomile] is called in greke chrysanthemon..it maye be called in englishe *yealowe camomyle. 1882 Garden 29 July 85/2 The Yellow Camomile..seems to be almost unknown. |
| 1976 Times 11 Nov. 12/4 Two Villa men were shown the *yellow card for fairly innocuous offences. |
| 1884 N.Y. Times 5 Oct. 5/2 Red and *yellow cedar..are the other trees most frequently met with. 1910 [see Alaska]. 1957 Handbk. of Softwoods (Forest Prod. Res. Lab.) 61 ‘Yellow cedar’..is confined to the Pacific Coast area from Alaska south to southern Oregon. |
| 1879 tr. Semper's Anim. Life 74 Most of the Radiolaria..bear in their body certain..particles known as the *yellow cells. |
| 1796 Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) II. 140 *Yellow Copper Ore. Copper Pyrites. 1876 Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 488/1 Yellow copper is more brittle, stiffer, and less malleable [than the red]. |
| 1548 Turner Names Herbes (E.D.S.) 55 Plenie maketh mention of a kynde called Narcissus herbaceus, whiche is after my iudgement our *yealowe daffodyl. |
| 1766 Complete Farmer s.v. Trellis, Trellises..being generally made of regularly cut *yellow-deal, or oak. |
| 1753 A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 42 Convenience stamped an imaginary Value upon *yellow Dirt. 1794 C. Smith Wand. Warwick 152 While you hesitate about receiving from me a little yellow dirt, for which I have no use. |
| 1552 Huloet, *Yellow earth founde in the mynes of golde or syluer, sandaraca. 1688 Holme Armoury ii. 38/2 Yellow earth, as Durry, Yellow Occar, Sand. 1794 Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) I. 194 This yellow earth differs from ochres only in containing a greater proportion of argill. 1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 425/1 Bole..Stolpenite, Rock Soap, Plinthite, Yellow Earth or Felinite, Fetbol, and Ochran are varieties. |
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) II. 113 Afterward fel a pestilence in to al Wales of þe *ȝelowe yuel þat is i-cleped þe iaundys. 1494 [see jaundice 1 β]. |
| 1667 Primatt City & C. Builder 61 *Yellow Fir, called Dram,..is the best sort of Fir for flooring. 1882 Garden 30 Sept. 301/3 The principal tree in these forests is the yellow Fir. |
| 1783 Ann. Reg., Chron. 213/2 The other three were hanged..a *yellow flag was flying from each ship during the execution. 1805 Act 45 Geo. III, c. 10 §14 If the said ship..have a clean bill of health, a large yellow flag of six breadths of bunting at the main-topmast head. 1836 C. P. Traill Backwoods of Canada 19 [Our ship bears] the melancholy symbol of disease, the yellow flag. 1863 Ann. Reg., For. Hist. 326 The yellow flag, ordinarily held so sacred in modern war, has..been but the mark for the hottest and most deadly fire. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Yellow-flag, the signal of quarantine. |
| 1750 G. Edwards Nat. Hist. Birds iii. Index 243 The great *Yellow Fly with black Spots. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 31 May 2/1 A banded yellow-fly. c 1386 *Yelewe gooldes [see gold2 1]. 1625 B. Jonson Pan's Anniv. Wks. (1641) i. 119 Gladdest myrtle for these postes to weare..star'd with yellow-golds, and Meadowes Queene. |
| 1783 Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds III. 139 *Yellow Grosbeak{ddd}head, neck, breast, belly, and vent, yellow..Inhabits Asia. |
| 1886 *Yellow ground [see blue ground s.v. blue a. 13]. 1947 E. African Ann. 1946–7 122/1 The portion of a pipe at the surface which has been altered or weathered and is usually of a yellowish colour is known as ‘yellow ground’, in contrast to the blue-green colour of the unaltered kimberlite or blue ground. 1978 Sci. Amer. Apr. 120/3 Most kimberlite exposed at the surface, called ‘yellow ground’ by miners and prospectors, is severely weathered. |
| 1799 Underwood Dis. Childhood (ed. 4) I. 26 Nurses have usually accounted the yellowness that appears about the third day after birth, if unusually deep (termed by some the *yellow gum) as the true jaundice. |
| 1836 E. Howard R. Reefer xxxiii, Misgivings about *Yellow Jack. 1857 Kingsley Two Y. Ago iv, Have seen three choleras, two army fevers, and yellow-jack without end. 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 1, I knew a good deal..of South East America, and remembered that Yellow Jack was endemic. 1927 M. M. Bennett Christison of Lammermoor iv. 49 These trees called yellowjacks are soft wood, so white ants enclose them with earth walls and eat the wood out. 1943 A. Marshall in Coast to Coast 1942 14, I tied the horse to a yellowjack and crept towards the river. |
| 1864 North-China Herald 18 June 99/2 [They] being each and all pre-eminent for bravery, contempt for death, and a generous emulation, are invested with the *yellow jacket as a reqard for their merits. 1878 H. A. Giles Gloss. Ref. Far East 84 A yellow ma-kwa is a distinction conferred by the Emperor on high officials; sometimes called the Yellow Jacket. 1918 H. B. Morse International Relations Chinese Empire II. v. 104 On Li Hung-chung was conferred the military distinction of the Yellow Jacket and the civil distinction of Junior Guardian to the heir apparent. |
| 1964 Guardian 16 June 6/6 Metcalfe (England) won his seventh *yellow jersey with another aggressively defensive ride. 1983 Times 1 July 12/5 It's hard enough even to get a ride in the Tour [de France]... To be the raceleader, to wear the yellow jersey, that's almost worth dying for. |
| 1948 C. L. B. Hubbard Dogs in Britain xix. 232 The *Yellow Labrador sometimes called the Golden Labrador..differs in several respects from the black Labrador. 1974 Times 4 May 23/8 (Advt.), Country home urgently wanted for two purebred Yellow Labrador bitches. |
| [1605: see sere, sear a.1 1 b]. 1913 L. Strachey in Edin. Rev. Jan. 68 The radiant creatures of Sceaux had fallen into the *yellow leaf. 1935 C. Isherwood Mr. Norris changes Trains vii. 107 Yes, I shall be fifty-three... I find it difficult to become accustomed to the thought that the yellow leaf is upon me. |
| 1974 A. A. Thompson Swiss Legacy xvi. 157 He guided the Mercedes through the traffic..taking chances... He ran a *yellow light and then a red one. 1977 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 27 Oct. 16/4 They only ask a ‘yellow’ light—the right to proceed with caution. |
| 1965 Autocar 24 Sept. 609/1 The leaflet recently published by RoSPA in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport..states that a *yellow line by the kerb means no waiting except for loading and unloading. 1968 J. Fleming Kill or Cure iv. 56 The local police..allow me to park on the double yellow line with impunity, when absolutely necesesary. 1975 J. Symons Three Pipe Problem xviii. 180 Traffic wardens can start booking cars on yellow lines after eight o'clock. 1983 Church Times 23 Dec. 11/1 Christmas shoppers who had taken the risk of parking on the single yellow line. |
| 1821 Sporting Mag. (N.S.) IX. 27 A prime *yellow-man round his squeeze. 1823 ‘Jon Bee’ Dict. Turf s.v., John Gully introduced the yellowman. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 5 Jan. 1/2 Convinced free-traders from the Colonies..draw the line at the free invasion of the Yellow-man. |
| 1647 in W. M. Williams Ann. Founders' Co. (1867) 103 Wayghtes of Brass..shall not..be..made of any worse Brass than *Yellow Mettell. 1860 Merc. Marine Mag. VII. 284 A ship fastened with yellow metal ought not to be put under the head of ‘copper fastened’. 1878 Ure Dict. Arts IV, Yellow-metal sheathing. 1481–90 *Yelu okyr [see ochre n. 1]. 1599 in Archaeologia LXIV. 384 For too pounde of yellow Oker for the said seeling iiij d. 1799 G. Smith Laboratory I. 185 Take yellow ochre, neal it well, and it will turn to a brown red. 1899 J. Cagney tr. von Jaksch's Clin. Diagn. (ed. 4) 143 The expectoration, which was of a yellow-ochre tint. |
| 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xxix. 391 The ulcer was dressed with *yellow ointment. |
| 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., *Yellow-ore..Chalcopyrite. |
| 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catal. (verso rear cover), See the *yellow pages in back of this book. 1956 R. A. Heinlein in Mag. of Fantasy & Sci. Fiction Oct. 51/2 Get me the yellow-pages phone book... I want to check the exact phrasing of a firm name. 1966 D. G. Hays in Automatic Transl. of Lang. (NATO Summer School, Venice, 1962) 152 In a telephone book..in the..‘Yellow Pages’, the major variable is name of product or service. 1969 Times 5 May 26/2 Yellow Pages are the classified guide that will be part of everyone's GPO telephone directory soon. 1982 S. Brett Murder Unprompted i. 10 The random selection method of sticking a pin in the ‘Theatrical and Variety Agents’ section of the Yellow Pages. 1985 Punch 23 Jan. 24/2 I started by ringing a few cowboys through the Yellow Pages, just to check on prices. |
| 1866 H. E. Roscoe Less. Elem. Chem. xv. 133 The weight of red substance produced is exactly equal to that of *yellow phosphorus used. 1944 J. A. Timm Gen. Chem. xli. 443 Yellow phosphorus is formed when the liquid solidifies. |
| 1819 Lingard Hist. Eng. I. ii. 108 A pestilence of the most fatal description (it was called the *yellow plague) depopulated the island. 1887 [see plague n. 3 b]. |
| 1774 J. R. Peyton Let. 21 July in J. L. Peyton Adv. My Grandfather (1867) 127 The forest of Kentucky consists of *yellow and white poplar, walnut, red bud. 1876 W. Whitman Specimen Days (1882–3) 89 Here is one of my favorites now before me, a fine yellow poplar, quite straight, perhaps 90 feet high. 1955 Sci. News Let. 7 May 302/2 The tulip tree is also variously known as tulip poplar, yellow poplar, whitewood and fiddle-tree. |
| 1909 G. K. Chesterton Tremendous Trifles 131 The *Yellow Pressman seems to have no power of catching the first fresh fact about a man. 1918 S. Sassoon Counter-Attack 29 The boys came back... And Yellow-Pressmen thronged the sunlit street To cheer the soldiers who'd refrained from dying. |
| 1891 Cent. Dict. s.v. Rain, Sulphur-rain or *yellow rain is a similar precipitation of the pollen of fir-trees, etc. 1903 Daily Chron. 5 Mar. 5/2 The phenomenon of ‘yellow rain’ was observed at some of the southern..stations. 1979 W. Safire in N.Y. Times 13 Dec. a31/5 The Laotians call it ‘the yellow rain’. 1981 N.Y. Times 24 Nov. c–1/5 The United States has been trying since 1976 to verify reports that chemical weapons, known popularly as ‘the yellow rain’, are being used against remote villages in Laos, Cambodia and, more recently, Afghanistan. 1982 Sci. News 20 Feb. 122/1 Blood samples were drawn from nine individuals supposedly exposed to a ‘yellow rain’ gas attack in the fall of 1981... Mirocha ‘was able to tentatively identify’..a metabolite of the trichothecene mycotoxin T2, in samples from only two. |
| 1907 Jrnl. Agri. Sci. II. 129 He [sc. Mr. Biffen] has discovered and grown several wheats which show to a greater or lesser degree immunity to the attacks of Puccinia glumarum, *Yellow Rust. 1973 Scotsman 7 Aug. 4/6 Mr Blakebell was speaking of yellow rust in wheats. |
| 1855 Kingsley Glaucus (1859) 195 The delicate lemon-coloured ‘*Yellow Sally’ (Chrysoperla viridis). 1867 F. Francis Bk. Angling vi. (1880) 231 The Yellow Sally..has..a high character with some anglers. |
| 1686 Plot Staffordsh. 160 The first and meanest whereof [sc. Iron Ore], they call *yellow share an ill sort that runs all to dirt and is good for nothing..this sort some others are please'd to call Redshare. |
| 1747 Carte Hist. Eng. I. 214 note, The *yellow sickness, a pestilential distemper which is mentioned by abundance of ancient writers, as laying Wales almost desolate. 1807 Ess. Highl. Soc. III. 437 note, Yellows,..Yellow sickness, or Jaundice. 1887 Garnsey & Balfour tr. De Bary's Fungi 482 A disease in the hyacinth known in Holland as the yellow sickness, the characteristic symptom of which is the presence of yellow slimy masses of Bacteria in the vessels. |
| 1725 H. Sloane Voy. Jamaica II. 325 Serpens major subflavus..The *yellow Snake. 1851 P. H. Gosse Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica 314 A serpent of the Boa kind..is distinguished by the appellation of Yellow Snake. 1860 Mayne Reid Odd People 22 The ‘Yellow Snake’, or South African Cobra. 1868 J. G. Wood Homes without H. iii. 85 A Yellow Snake..is very plentiful in Jamaica and is perfectly harmless to man. |
| 1813 Gentl. Mag. Jan. 95/1 Soap, *Yellow, 104s. Mottled 114s. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xxv, Applying plenty of yellow soap to the towel, and rubbing away till his face shone again. |
| 1835 ― Sk. Boz, Parish vi, The children were *yellow-soaped and flannelled, and towelled, till their faces shone again. |
| 1845 *Yellow softening [see softening vbl. n. 1 b]. 1873 T. H. Green Introd. Pathol. (ed. 2) 42 Yellow Softening.., in which, from the fine state of division and close aggregation of the fatty particles, a dead yellowish-white colour is imparted to the softened tissue. 14.. *Ȝalow souȝt [see sought n.]. 1578 Lyte Dodoens i. ii. 6 The infusion..cureth the Iaundise or Yealowsought. |
| 1819 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. CIX. 302 The *yellow spot of Soemmerring..is never seen to advantage until this membrane be removed. 1869 Huxley Physiol. ix. (ed. 3) 241 Exactly opposite the middle of the posterior wall, it [sc. the retina] presents a slight circular depression of a yellowish hue, the macula lutea, or yellow spot. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VII. 730 Ophthalmoscopic examination reveals a peculiar..appearance in the region of each yellow spot. |
| 1967 Guardian 21 Oct. 8/3 ‘Private Eye’ recently labelled me ‘D. A. N. Jew’. Now it happens that I haven't the right to claim the *yellow star. 1981 Times Lit. Suppl. 6 Nov. 1296/5 Germans like Captain Ernst Janger..who declared himself ‘ashamed’..when he saw Jews in Paris wearing their yellow stars. |
| 1861 Macleod Devot. to B.V.M. in N. Amer. 342 note, Hebridean Protestants..are..called Protestants of the *Yellow Stick. 1880 W. G. Blaikie Life Livingstone i. 3 A tradition that the people of the island [Ulva] were converted from being Roman Catholics ‘by the laird coming round with a man having a yellow staff,..the new religion went long afterwards..by the name of the religion of the yellow stick’. |
| 1911 H. S. Harrison Queed v. 55 ‘A *yellow streak in him, and we didn't know it!’ bellowed the Major. 1977 ‘D. MacNeil’ Wolf in Fold xi. 116 I'm not showing a yellow streak! But we're going to have casualties. |
| 1876 Quain Anat. (ed. 8) ii. 67 *Yellow or Elastic Tissue. |
| 1822–34 Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) I. 585 Typhus icterodes or *yellow typhus. |
| 1947 H. W. Ehrmann French Labor vii. 126 The CGT could not properly identify the Catholic trade unions with the various movements, in French usage commonly referred to as ‘*yellow’ unions, which were organized under the auspices of the employers. 1957 M. P. Fogarty Christian Democracy xv. 192 Widespread support was given to the yellow unions, notably by the clergy. 1970 R. A. H. Robinson Origins of Franco's Spain 331 Socialists were also determined that no ‘yellow’ unions should flourish, eg a strike-threat by the ugt procured the dismissal of 20 members of the Federación Española de Trabajadores. |
| 1783 J. Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds II. 482 Spotted *Yellow Warbler. 1845 S. Judd Margaret i. 160 The leafless Butternut, whereon..the yellow warbler made its nest, sprawls its naked arms. 1938 M. Thompson High Trails 153 The yellow warbler..and many other birds fill the air with their songs. 1971 Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 13 June 13/2 Overhead a pair of yellow warblers trilled out their song. |
| 1785 J. Woodforde Diary 7 Nov. (1926) II. 213 To Nancy for 2 new *yellow Ware Chamber Pots 1. 0. 1827 Lytton Pelham lxiii, A comfortless sort of dressing-room,..where I found a yellow-ware jug and basin. 1887 Harper's Mag. Dec. 31/1 Sometimes a cherry would fall upon her dark braids, and drop thence in among the verdant contents of the yellow-ware bowl. 1967 Canadian Antiques Collector Apr. 9/2 During the next ten years the Bells extended their pottery production to include Rockingham and yellow wares. |
| 1963 Times 22 Jan. 10/3 The service have issued a ‘*yellow warning’. This is intended to warn hospitals to cut down on routine admissions so as to make room for emergencies. 1973 Times 13 Nov. 1/2 In electricity supply terms a national ‘yellow warning’..means possible voltage reductions. |
| 1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 332 *Yellow weed, Reseda. 1853 G. Johnston Bot. E. Borders 111 S[enecio] Jacobæa. Ragwort: Yellow-weed. 1884 Miller Plant-n., Reseda Luteola..Dyer's-Rocket, Dyer's-weed, Dyer's Yellow-weed,..Yellow-weed. |
| 1789 Pilkington View Derbysh. I. 384 Chlora perfoliata, perforated [sic] *Yellow-Wort. |
| 1859 Stationers' Handbk. 12 In woven papers may be mentioned Blue Wove—that is, a paper of woven texture, but blue in colour; then comes another, which, although in point of fact white, or an extremely pale cast of blue, is termed *Yellow Wove. |
| 1913 W. Harris Notes Fruit & Veg. Jamaica 42 *Yellow yam and its varieties belong to Dioscorea cayennensis. 1971 [see negro yam s.v. Negro 7]. 1973 N. Farki Countryman Karl Black iv. 38 Rice and two pieces of yellow yam in one plate. |
2. Combinations.
a. Qualifying other
adjs. (or
ns.) of colour (
= yellowish, inclining to or tinged with yellow): as
yellow-black,
yellow-blue,
yellow-brown,
yellow-dun,
yellow-golden,
yellow-green,
yellow-grey,
yellow-olive,
yellow-red,
yellow-white; also
occas. other
adjs., as
yellow-fluffy,
yellow-gleamy,
yellow-pale,
yellow-ripe.
In
OE. expressed by
ᵹeolu in comb. or by the
adv. ᵹeolwe, as
ᵹeoluréad,
ᵹeolwe réad.
| 1841 Clough Poems, Song of Autumn 5 My gay green leaves are *yellow-black, Upon the dank autumnal floor. |
| 1940 W. Faulkner Hamlet iv. ii. 328 There were three buzzards soaring against the high *yellow-blue. |
| 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) IV. 177 Pileus *yellow brown. 1859 Geo. Eliot in Cross Life (1885) II. 109 The rich yellow-brown of the oaks. |
| 1639 T. de Grey Compl. Horsem. 59 The horse which is milke white, *yellow-dunne, sanded or pie-bald. 1832 Lytton Eugene Aram i. ix, He..drew up his line, and replaced the contemned beauty of the violet-fly with the novel attractions of the yellow-dun. 1837 J. Kirkbride Northern Angler 32 The Yellow Dun..makes its appearance on the northern rivers some time in May. |
| 1916 D. H. Lawrence Amores 50 Flutter for a moment, oh the beast is quick and keen,—Extinct one *yellow-fluffy spark. |
| a 1930 ― Phoenix (1936) i. 3 In the *yellow-gleamy sunset, wild birds began to whistle faintly. |
| 1946 S. Spender European Witness i. 15 In the foreground *yellow-golden fields, with above a flat wall of greyish sky. a 1963 L. MacNeice Astrol. (1964) iii. 96 Leo the yellow-golden fire of organized mentality. |
| 1768 G. White Selborne, To Pennant 17 Aug., The *yellow-green of the whole upper part of the body is more vivid. 1816 Stephens in Shaw Gen. Zool. IX. ii. 404 Upper part of the back and scapulars yellow-green. a 1887 Jefferies Field & Hedgerow (1889) 269 The broad descending surfaces of yellow-green oak. |
| 1811 Shaw Gen. Zool. VIII. 466 *Yellow-olive Parrakeet. |
| a 1930 D. H. Lawrence Last Poems (1932) 315 Black lamps..Giving off darkness, blue darkness, upon Demeter's *yellow-pale day. |
| c 1050 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 437/20 Lutea, þæt *ᵹiolureade. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xiv. (Tollem. MS.), Yf þey ben browne in coloure, oþer citryn ȝolwer[e]de. 1819 Stephens in Shaw Gen. Zool. XI. ii. 324 The breast is yellow-red. |
| 1886 R. F. Burton Arab. Nts. (abr. ed.) III. 3 All manner trees bearing *yellow-ripe fruits. |
| 1614 Sylvester Parl. Vertues Royall 1288 Her *yellow-sallow skin. |
| c 1000 ælfric Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 163/21 Giluus, *ᵹeoluhwit. 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. i. 337 A Hen that fain would hatch a Brood..Sits close thereon, and with her lively heat, Of yellow-white bals, doth live birds beget. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xli. That yellow-white plant, which grows on an old oak in the wood. 1898 Eliz. & her German Garden 55 Coral-pink petals, paling..to a yellow-white. |
b. Parasynthetic and instrumental combs. (many of which are used in the names of species or varieties of animals or plants): as
yellow-backed,
yellow-banded,
yellow-barked,
yellow-barred,
yellow-belled,
yellow-billed,
yellow-blossomed,
yellow-bodied,
yellow-breasted,
yellow-browed,
yellow-cheeked,
yellow-chinned,
yellow-coloured,
yellow-covered,
yellow-crested,
yellow-crowned,
yellow-eyed,
yellow-faced,
yellow-fanged,
yellow-finned,
yellow-flagged,
yellow-flecked,
yellow-fleshed,
yellow-flowered,
yellow-flowering,
yellow-footed,
yellow-fringed,
yellow-fronted,
yellow-girted,
yellow-gloved,
yellow-haired,
yellow-headed,
yellow-hilted,
yellow-horned,
yellow-jerkined,
yellow-leaved,
yellow legged,
yellow-lit,
yellow-livered,
yellow-locked,
yellow-lustred,
yellow-maned,
yellow-marked,
yellow-mottled,
yellow-necked,
yellow-painted,
yellow pinioned,
yellow-ringed,
yellow-ringleted,
yellow-robed,
yellow-rumped,
yellow-sealed,
yellow-shafted,
yellow-shanked,
yellow-shouldered,
yellow-skinned,
yellow-skirted,
yellow-slashed,
yellow-slobbered,
yellow-spotted,
yellow-sprinkled,
yellow-stained,
yellow-tailed,
yellow-throated,
yellow-tinged,
yellow-tinging,
yellow-toed,
yellow-tressed,
yellow-vented,
yellow-wamed (
Sc. = -bellied),
yellow-washed,
yellow-winged, etc.,
adjs. Also
yellow-haired.
| 1783 Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds IV. 440 *Yellow-backed Warbler. 1874 Baily's Mag. Jan. 346 One or two yellow-backed railway novels. |
| 1833 Tennyson Eleänore 22 The *yellow-banded bees. |
| 1611 Cotgr., Saulx vitelline,..*yellow-barked Willow. 1824 Loudon Green-house Comp. i. 68 Yellow-barked shoots and leaves. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 174 The *Yellow-barred Iron..occurs in woods. |
| 1752 Hill Hist. Anim. 328 The *yellow-beaked, American Owl. 1966 E. Palmer Plains of Camdeboo xvi. 262 By far the showiest is the yellow-beaked Stapelia, Stapelia flavirostris, with dark flowers marked with yellow and ornamented with silver hairs. |
| 1881 O. Wilde Poems 122 On this side and on that a rocky cave, Hung with the *yellow-belled laburnum stands. |
| 1822 Latham Gen. Hist. Birds II. 331 *Yellow-billed Horn-bill. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede i. vi, Turning even the muddy water..into a mirror for the yellow-billed ducks. |
| 1764 Goldsm. Trav. 292 The *yellow-blossom'd vale. 1852 Mundy Antipodes (1857) 31 The delicate yellow-blossomed acacia. |
| 1752 Hill Hist. Anim. 30 The black and *yellow-bodied Œstrus. 1864–5 Wood Homes without H. vi. 139 To see the yellow-bodied Wasp..dart into the dark mass. |
| 1730 Mortimer in Phil. Trans. XXXVI. 432 The *Yellow-breasted Chat. 1776 Brown Illustr. Zool. 80 The yellow-breasted Flycatcher. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 313 The yellow-breasted martin was still pursued in Cranbourne Chase for his fur. |
| 1783 Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds IV. 459 *Yellow-browed Warbler. 1913 H. K. Swann Dict. Names Brit. Birds 264 Yellow-browed Warbler... A Siberian species of Willow Warbler. 1971 Country Life 25 Mar. 705/3 Almost any rarity can turn up, such as..yellow-browed warbler. |
| 1872 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 419/1 White petaled, *yellow-centred flowers. |
| 1765 Layard in Phil. Trans. LVI. 13 A rusty *yellow-colored crust covering the stalactites. |
| 1849 Merchants' Mag. XX. 118 The *yellow-covered literature of the day—translations from the French. 1915 H. Young Hard Knocks 23 The little yellow covered novels were the cause of it. |
| 1776 Brown Illustr. Zool. 24 The *Yellow-crested Woodpecker. 1894 A. Robertson Nuggets 127 A flock of yellow-crested cockatoos. |
| 1776 Brown Illustr. Zool. 50 *Yellow crowned Thrush. 1817 Stephens in Shaw Gen. Zool. X. 623 Yellow-crowned Warbler. 1925 J. Ferguson in Oxf. Poetry 18 Like stately flowers, yellow-crowned. 1950 Caribbean Q. II. iii. 41 Nor were the larger and stronger Yellow crowned Night Herons, to be outdone. |
| 1752 Hill Hist. Anim. 322 The *yellow-eyed Owl. 1845–50 A. H. Lincoln Lect. Bot. App. 187 Xyris..caroliniana (yellow-eyed grass). 1881 O. Wilde Poems 180 The hot jungle where the yellow-eyed huge lions sleep. 1957 T. Hughes Hawk in Rain 39 A square-pupilled yellow-eyed look. |
| 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse Wks. (Grosart) II. 27 In praise of Lady Swin-snout, his *yeolow-fac'd Mistres. 1758 G. Edwards Glean. Nat. Hist. I. 49 The Yellow-faced Parrakeet. 1811 Shaw Gen. Zool. VIII. 445 Yellow-faced Parrakeet. |
| 1954 J. R. R. Tolkien Two Towers iii. iii. 50 It was the *yellow-fanged guard. |
| 1804 Shaw Gen. Zool. V. 176 *Yellow-finned Herring. 1908 C. F. Holder Big Game at Sea xxiii. 342 The boatmen..called it the ‘yellow-finned tuna’... This was in 1904, and ever since the new tuna, with its vivid lemon finlets, has appeared every August or September. 1936 Zoologica XXI. 190 The various nominal forms of the yellow-finned tuna belong to the same species. |
| 1868 J. E. Ollivant tr. P. Kollonitz's Crt. Mexico 16 The *yellow-flagged boat of the quarantine. |
| 1920 D. H. Lawrence Lost Girl iv. 55 The seam of *yellow-flecked coal. |
| 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche Dec. 12 The *yellow-fleecèd flocks. |
| 1859 Darwin Orig. Spec. iv. (1860) 85 Another disease attacks *yellow-fleshed peaches far more than those with other coloured flesh. |
| 1721 Mortimer Husb. II. 239 The Toad Flax of Valentia is *yellow-Flowered. 1845 Florist's Jrnl. (1846) VI. 270 A yellow-flowered Sea-Lavender is a rarity. 1888 J. & E. R. Pennell Sent. Journ. 11 Across the yellow flowered sand-dunes. |
| 1832 Veg. Subst. Food of Man 213 The *yellow flowering pea. |
| 1894 Lydekker Marsupialia 172 *Yellow-footed Pouched Mouse, Phascologale flavipes. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 221 The *Yellow-fringed White [Moth] (Y[psolophus] flaviciliatus). |
| 1781 Pennant Gen. Birds 62 *Yellow-fronted Honey-Sucker. 1783 Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds IV. 461 Yellow-fronted Warbler. The forehead and crown are of a bright yellow. 1901 Nature 19 Sept. 523/2 A Yellow-fronted Amazon (Chrysotis ochrocephala) from Guiana. |
| 1880 Daily News 16 Aug. 6/5 The..*yellow-funnelled White Star liner steams slowly in. |
| 1818 Keats Endym. i. 253 *Yellow girted bees. |
| 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. II. 10 June, let. i, It was the singularity in S―'s conduct that reconciled him to the *yellow-gloved philosopher. |
| 1743 G. Edwards Nat. Hist. Birds 44 The *Yellow-headed Linnet. This Bird being of kin to Linnets or Canary-Birds, I choose to call it by this Name. 1783 Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds IV. 401 Yellow-headed Wagtail. 1846 Ex. Doc. 30th U.S. Congress I Sess. House No. 41. 436 [We saw] large flocks of the yellow headed black bird. 1972 R. & R. Wright Cariboo Mileposts 50 Stands of tules or reeds will hold the woven nests of red-wing and yellow-headed blackbirds. |
| 1787 Hawkins Life of Johnson 233 A long *yellow-hilted sword. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 83 The *Yellow-horned [Moth] (C[eropacha] flavicornis)..antennæ yellow. |
| 1860 Motley Netherl. ii. I. 35 Battling..breast to breast with the *yellow-jerkined pikemen of Spain and Italy. |
| 1766 Complete Farmer s.v. Purslane, The red or *yellow leaved, commonly called golden purslane. 1824 Longfellow Autumn 20 Maple yellow-leaved. |
| 1752 Hill Hist. Anim. 340 The *yellow-legged Falco. |
| 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. viii, A..bystander, *yellow-legginged and purple-faced. |
| 1877 Black Green Past. vi, Asleep in the hushed *yellow-lit room. |
| 1935 S. Lewis It can't happen Here 156 The meanest, lowest, cowardliest gang of *yellow-livered, back-slapping, hypocritical gun⁓toters. 1979 PN Rev. No. 9. 27/1 O green, green eating out my eyes, A yellow-livered green in a wet light. |
| 1697 Dryden æneis x. 786 Camers the *yellow Lock'd. |
| 1878 Longfellow Kéramos 182 A ground of deepest blue With *yellow-lustred stars o'erlaid. |
| 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting ix. 416 He was only a *yellow-maned one [sc. lion]. |
| 1916 Blunden Harbingers 64 Toadstools..Yellow, and *yellow-mottled red, and black. |
| 1783 Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds III. 337 *Yellow-necked Flycatcher. 1889 Cent. Dict. 7016/3 The yellow-necked caterpillar..feeds in communities on the foliage of apple, hickory, and walnut in the United States. 1908 E. J. Banfield Confessions of Beachcomber i. iii. 98 Yellow-necked Mangrove Bittern. 1921 G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton Hist. Brit. Mammals II. 547 The Yellow-necked Field Mouse is distinguished from A. sylvaticus by its larger size. 1979 Essex Countryside XXVII. 72/2 The hoarding habits of yellow-necked mice are well known. |
| 1861 W. F. Collier Hist. Eng. Lit. 104 Those *yellow-painted wooden caravans. |
| 1735 Somerville Chase i. 243 His glossy Skin, or *Yellow-py'd, or blue. |
| 1624 Heriot in Mem. (1822) App. iii. 98 My *yellow-pointed diamond-ring. |
| 1880 A. H. Swinton Insect Variety 94 The groups of *Yellow-ringed Gnats. |
| 1864 Tennyson Boadicea 55 Thither at their will they haled the *yellow-ringleted Britoness. |
| 1819 Methodist Mag. Oct. 723 We took leave of our *yellow-robed acquaintances. 1889 S. Langdon Appeal to Serpent iii. 50 A long procession of yellow-robed..monks. |
| 1758 G. Edwards Glean. Nat. Hist. i. 97 The *Yellow-rumped Fly-catcher. 1808–13 A. Wilson Amer. Ornith. (1832) I. 280 Yellow-rumped Warbler.—Sylvia Coronata. 1841 *Yellow-sealed [see yellow-seal in c]. |
| 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xi, My yellow-sealed wine, which costs me ten shillings a bottle. |
| 1822 Latham Gen. Hist. Birds III. 410 *Yellow-shafted Woodpecker;..tail dusky yellow, with black spots, and yellow shafts. |
| 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 248 A *yellow-skinned chicken makes the most delicate roast. |
| 1629 Milton Hymn Nativ. xxvi, The *yellow-skirted Fayes. |
| 1928 V. Woolf Orlando v. 225 The *yellow-slashed sky of dawn. |
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 222 Two barefoot urchins, sucking long liquorice laces, halted near him, gaping..with their *yellowslobbered mouths. |
| 1869 ‘Mark Twain’ Innoc. Abr. vii. 43 The tall *yellow-splotched hills. |
| 1828 Latham Index Gen. Hist. Birds III, Woodpecker, *yellow spotted. 1853 Mrs. Gaskell Cranford xiii, The yellow-spotted lilac gown. |
| 1619 Rich Irish Hubbub 4 A *yellow-starcht band about his necke. |
| 1758 G. Edwards Glean. Nat. Hist. i. 101 The *Yellow-tailed Fly-catcher. 1823 Latham Gen. Hist. Birds VI. 232 Yellow-tailed Warbler. |
| a 1749 M. Catesby Nat. Hist. Carolina (1754) I. 62 The *yellow-throated creeper. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 12 Yellow-throated nestling in the nest. |
| 1826 J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 174 In their *yellow-tinged-lookin blankets. |
| 1728–46 Thomson Spring 1082 The *yellow-tinging Plague Internal Vision taints. |
| a 1593 Marlowe Ovid's Elegies ii. iv, Amber trest [v.r. *Yellow trest] is she. |
| 1838 Wilson's Tales of Borders IV. 176 He can..lurk in the green moss like the *yellow-wamed ask. |
| 1859 Hawthorne Marble Faun xxxvi, Those immense seven-storied, *yellow-washed hovels. |
| 1764 G. Edwards Glean. Nat. Hist. iii. 239 The *Yellow-winged Pye. 1808–13 A. Wilson Amer. Ornith. (1831) II. 259 Yellow-Winged Sparrow..inhabits the lower parts of New York and Pennsylvania. 1844 Kinglake Eothen xviii, The yellow-winged Angel [of Death]. |
c. Forming
ns. (or
adjs.), the names (or descriptive epithets) of animals and other objects, in which
yellow qualifies the name of some part or distinctive feature:
yellow-back, (
a) some kind of fish (see
quot. 1796); (
b) a cheap yellow-backed (
esp. French) novel; more widely, any cheaply issued or reprinted novel; (
c) a
U.S. currency note having the back coloured yellow;
yellow-beak = bejan;
yellow-bill, name for various birds with a yellow bill or yellow coloration on the bill, as the American scoter,
Œdemia americana;
yellow-cup, a buttercup;
yellow-fin, name for various fishes with yellow fins or yellow coloration on the fins (see
quots.);
esp. yellow-fin tuna, one of several species of
Thunnus,
esp. T. albacares, a large fish found in warmer parts of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans;
yellow-foot a. (
Sc. -fit), yellow-footed;
Yellow Hat colloq., used
attrib. or absol. in pl. to denote a Tibetan Buddhist sect (Gelugpa) founded in the fourteenth century by Tsong-kha-pa;
yellow-head, (
a) an African plant of the genus
Helichrysum having brilliant yellow flowers; (
b) a species of moth (see
quot. 1832); (
c) the American yellow-headed blackbird,
Xanthocephalus icterocephalus; (
d) a warbler,
Mohoua ochrocephala, found in the South Island of New Zealand;
yellow jacket, (
a)
U.S. colloq., name for a wasp or hornet; (
b) name for various species of
Eucalyptus with yellowish bark (Morris
Austral Eng.); (
c)
slang (
orig. U.S.), a pentobarbitone capsule;
yellow-leg,
-legs, (
a) a bird with yellow legs,
esp. either of two N. American sandpipers,
Totanus flavipes and
T. melanoleucus; (
b)
N. Amer. colloq. [from the yellow stripe down the side of the breeches], a
U.S. cavalryman or a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
yellow-line, collectors' name for species of moths of the genus
Orthosia (see
quots.);
yellow-neb = yellow-beak,
bejan;
yellow-pate, the yellow-hammer;
yellow-poll (warbler), the summer warbler of N. America,
Dendrœca æstiva;
yellow-rump (warbler),
Dendrœca coronata, also called
yellow-crowned warbler or
myrtle-bird; also
D. maculosa;
yellow-seal (
nonce-use), wine in bottles bearing a yellow seal;
yellowseed, a name for
Lepidium campestre, also called
mithridate mustard or
m. pepperwort;
yellow-shank,
-shanks = yellow-leg(
s;
yellow-shell, collectors' name for a species of moth (see
quot.);
yellow-skin, one of an ethnic type having a yellow skin or complexion (see A. 1 d);
yellow-spot, collectors' name for a species of skipper (butterfly),
Polites peckius, having a yellow spot on each hind wing; also (
yellow-spot unicorn hawk) for a species of hawk-moth,
Sphinx quinque-maculatus;
yellow-throat, any species of warbler of the N. American genus
Geothlypis,
esp. G. trichas, the Maryland yellow-throat;
yellow-top, (
a) a N. American species of reed-grass,
Calamagrostis hyperborea Americana, valued for hay; (
b) the early golden-rod,
Solidago juncea, common in eastern N. America; (
c) a variety of turnip, having the top of the root of a yellow colour;
yellow underwing, one of several noctuid moths. See also
yellow-belly,
yellow-root,
yellowtail,
yellow-wood.
| 1796 Stedman Surinam II. xxix. 368 The fisher-men having caught a quantity of large fish, I discovered one among them..the *yellow-back{ddd}thus called from its colour, which almost resembles that of a lemon. 1877 Living Age 14 Apr. 128/1 Four days ago Ley and I started down the river on an exploring expedition, and he took it into his head to rope (‘lasso’, as the yellow-backs have it) a buffalo. 1890 Q. Rev. Oct. 443 A well-thumbed ‘Yellow-back’. 1902 H. L. Wilson Spenders xiv. 150 She was dead in love with the nice long yellow-backs that I've piled up. 1928 M. Sadleir Trollope: a Bibliogr. 68 In 1868 The Belton Estate was issued at two shillings as a ‘yellow back’. 1943 Copper Camp (Writers' Program, Montana) 37 They occasionally found yellowbacks tucked in their shoes. 1976 T. Eagleton Crit. & Ideology ii. 47 The ‘yellowback’ railway novel is available to a mass public. |
| 1865 G. Macdonald Alec Forbes xxxiv, The speaker kindled with wrath at the presumption of the *yellow-beaks. 1868 [see bejan]. |
| 1865 Gosse Land & Sea (1874) 321 Yonder floats by a flock of Parrots with a most abominable combination of harsh screams. It is the *Yellow-bill. |
| 1824 W. Irving T. Trav. I. 251 A bed of daisies and *yellow-cups. |
| 1818 Hogg Brownie of Bodsbeck, etc. II. 167 At length a *yellowfin rose... ‘I wish your honour had hookit that ane.’ 1825 Jamieson, Yellowfin, a species of trout, so named from the colour of its fins..; apparently the same with the Finnoc or Finner. 1845 Gosse Ocean iv. (1849) 206 The Yellow-fin (Sparus synagris, Linn.), which has its body marked with longitudinal bands of delicate pink and yellow alternately. 1888 Goode Amer. Fishes 111 About Cape Cod they [sc. squeteague] are called ‘Drummers’; about Buzzard's Bay and in the vicinity the largest are known as ‘Yellow-fins’. 1922 Pacific Fisherman Feb. 12/1 Each of these new species—bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and striped tuna—proved itself well adapted to the same canning method as the albacore. 1975 Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 7 Sept. 4/2 They [sc. whales] travel in schools in the eastern Pacific, followed by yellow-fin tuna which feed on their leavings. |
| 1796 Nemnich Polygl.-Lex. 944 *Yellow fingers, Strombus lambis. |
| c 1780 Johnstone Hey & Yng. Caldwell xxiv. in Child Ballads iv. 293 ‘Nut-brown was his hawk’, they said, ‘And *yellow-fit was his hound’. |
| 1747 Astley's New Gen. Coll. Voy. IV. ii. iv. 450/2 They being of the *yellow Hat, or Chinese party. 1931 C. Bell Relig. Tibet viii. 129 With the enthronement of the fifth Dalai Lama as sovereign over the whole country, the power of the Yellow Hats was greatly increased. 1962 H. E. Richardson Tibet & its Hist. ii. 40 The Dalai Lamas..owed their appearance to the great religious teacher known as Tsong Khapa (1357–1417), the founder of a new sect, the Gelugpa, popularly called the Yellow Hats. 1978 C. Humphreys Both Sides Circle xx. 212 The famous monastery at Ghoom..belongs to the Gelug-pa or Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. |
| 1712 Petiver in Phil. Trans. XXVII. 419 Narrow-leaved Cape *yellow Heads [Elichrysum Africanum, Ray]. 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 210 The Yellow Head ([Porrectaria] flavi-frontella)..the head tawny. 1873 Trans. N.Z. Inst. VI. 144 Yellow-head. Average weight of specimens, 1½ ounce. 1897 Yearbk. U.S. Dept. Agric. 351 In complaints made against the redwing the yellowhead is frequently included as equally guilty. 1966 Encycl. N.Z. I. 206/2 Still widely distributed in the deeper forests are..whitehead..and yellowhead. |
| 1868 Amer. Naturalist May 123 [Bears] also dig up ‘*yellow-jackets’, wasp's-nests, for the larvæ. 1897 Howells Landlord at Lion's Head 381 He remembered stumbling..into a nest of yellow-jackets. 1953, 1969 Yellow jacket [see nembie]. 1974 M. C. Gerald Pharmacol. xi. 205 Short-acting barbiturates such as pentobarbital (‘yellow jackets’). |
| 1772 Forster in Phil. Trans. LXII. 410 This bird is called a *yellow leg at Albany fort. 1854 Poultry Chron. II. 129 A pen of Brahmas—one pea-comb, two single-combs, one white-legs, two yellow-legs. 1894 J. A. Frye Fables of Field & Staff 109 The ‘Yellow-Legs’ are always great on dismounted duty. 1895 Outing (U.S.) XXVI. 70/2 The winter yellowlegs were less numerous. 1943 W. H. Chase Sourdough Pot xix. 120 Numbers of these prisoners were marched down the main street in charge of a Mountie, or ‘Yellow-leg’, as they were called on account of the yellow strip running down the outside of their trouser leg. 1957 G. Shirreffs Rio Bravo (1972) i. 6 He glanced back at the rough country through which they had come, almost as though looking for the beefy figure of Francis Xavier Feeley, one of the best yellowlegs who had ever forked a McClellan. 1974 W. Hunt North of 53 xix. 139 The ‘yellow legs’—the Mounties—were not permissive in law enforcement. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 59 The *Yellow Line (Orthosia flavilinea)..Wings..brownish; first pair with a slanting, but very straight yellowish streak. 1869 E. Newman Brit. Moths 365/2 The Yellow-Line Quaker (Orthosia macilenta). |
| 1899 H. G. Graham Soc. Life Scot. 18th Cent. xii. II. 196 These first year's students were popularly called ‘*yellow-nebs’. |
| 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. xiii. 75 The *Yellow-pate, which though she hurt the blooming tree Yet scarce had any bird a finer pype than shee. |
| 1783 Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds IV. 515 *Yellow-Poll. Rather less than the Pettichaps:..This species is found in America,..but its chief residence is in Guiana. 1785 Pennant Arct. Zool. II. 402 Yellow-poll Warbler... Inhabits Canada. |
| 1730 Mortimer in Phil. Trans. XXXVI. 433 Parus uropygeo luteo, the *yellow Rump. 1785 Pennant Arct. Zool. II. 400 Yellow-rump Warbler. |
| 1841 Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. vii, ‘Get some of that yellow-sealed wine, Tiggins,’ says the captain... I must say I liked the *yellow-seal much better than aunt Hoggarty's Rosolio. |
| 1846–50 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. 161 L[epidium] campestre..*Yellow Seed. |
| 1785 Pennant Arct. Zool. II. 468 *Yellow-shanks Snipe. With a slender black bill. 1835 Audubon Ornith. Biog. III. 573 The Yellowshank is much more abundant..to the westward of the Alleghany Mountains than along our Atlantic coast. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 128 The *Yellow Shell (C[amptogramma] bilineata). |
| 1851 Mayne Reid Rifle Rangers xiii. (1853) 89, I was in hopes we'd have a brush with the *yellow-skins. 1904 Contemp. Rev. Aug. 289 Russia has ever regarded herself as the dear friend of the nations who are now contemptuously nick-named ‘yellowskins’. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 24 The *Yellow-spot Unicorn Hawk (Sphinx quinque Maculatus). |
| 1702 Petiver Gazophyl. i. 6 Avis Mary-Landica gutture luteo. The Mary-Land *Yellow-Throat. 1865 Atlantic Monthly XV. 521, I miss in the woods..the Yellow Throat. 1949 V. S. Reid New Day i. xxviii. 143 A..yellowthroat warbler whistles back. 1977 Blair & Ketchum's Country Jrnl. May 43/1 The yellow-throats will reemerge on other days. |
| 1846 Worcester, *Yellow-Top, a species of grass, called also white-top. Farm. Ency. |
| 1749, etc. *Yellow underwing [see underwing 2]. a 1941 V. Woolf Death of Moth (1942) 9 The commonest yellow-underwing asleep in the shadow of the curtain. 1968 Oxf. Bk. Insects 72/1 Like the other Yellow Underwings..this species baffles its enemies by the way it shows its colours. |
▸
yellow slug n. a mottled yellow and grey slug,
Limax flavus, native to temperate Europe and now also found elsewhere, and typically associated with human dwellings and gardens.
| 1829 W. Cobbett Eng. Gardener vi. §103 The great black slug and the *yellow slug live chiefly upon worms, and do not touch plants of any kind. 1971 Countryman Summer 187/1 This is probably a yellow slug, Limax flavus, a synanthropic species, which lives in and around houses, cellars and old garden walls. 2006 Sunday Times (Nexis) 22 Oct. 11 Yellow slugs in Northamptonshire are reproducing three months early because warm weather has confused them. |
▸
yellow-card v.
trans. (in some team sports,
esp. Association Football) to caution (a player or member of the coaching staff) for an infringement of the rules by showing a yellow card;
= book v. Additions e; also in extended use.
| 1977 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 2 May 12/6 Damir Micic..was ejected from the game at the 43 minute mark..after being *yellow-carded only minutes earlier. 1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 20 Sept. d6 The game ended on a sour note, with Colonial Coach Georges Edeline complaining about the dimensions of the field, minutes after being yellow-carded for protesting what he considered rough play. 1996 Daily Express 26 June 4/4 If politics were football Germany would have been yellow carded, with Chancellor Helmut Kohl in danger of being ordered off. 2005 Sunday Mercury (Nexis) 24 July (Sport section) 7 Mathieu Berson was yellow carded for a late challenge. |
▪ II. ˈyellow, v.1 [f. yellow a.] 1. intr. To become yellow, turn yellow.
| a 1050 Liber Scintill. xxviii. (1889) 105 Na beheald þu win þænne hit ᵹeoluwað [L. flauescit]. |
| 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. II. 157 Ash or maple 'neath thy colour yellows. 1851 Mayne Reid Scalp Hunters xxxviii, The peak [of the temple] is yellowing downward [in the sunlight]. 1868 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. Ser. ii. IV. ii. 425 In one part of the field the oats ‘yellow off’. 1888 Rider Haggard Col. Quaritch xxi, Their foliage yellowing to its fall, rose the giant oaks. 1902 Cutcliffe Hyne Thompson's Progr. vii. 184 When the wick yellowed out into flame. |
2. trans. To make or render yellow; to impart a yellow colour to.
| 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. iii. Furies 457 Her fiery poyson, yellowing all without. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. xvii, My papers (yellowed with their age). 1743 Francis tr. Hor., Odes i. xxxi. 6 The swelling Grain, That yellows o'er Sardinia's Plain. 1805 Wordsw. Prelude v. 560 While the morning light Was yellowing the hill tops. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola v, The vellum is yellowed in these thirteen years. 1885 Meredith Diana iv, On that fine spring morning, when..cowslips yellowed the meadow-flats. 1907 J. A. Hodges Elem. Photogr. (ed. 6) 25 Some modern lenses..become..yellowed by exposure to strong light. |
b. spec. in pin-manufacture: see
quot.| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts etc. 956 Yellowing or cleaning the pins, is effected by boiling them for half an hour in sour beer, wine lees, or solution of tartar. |
c. Naut. colloq. To make a ‘yellow admiral’ of (see
yellow a. 1 e). Also
transf. to retire (a person).
| 1747 in Mahan Types Naval Off. (1902) 85 ‘I will not have Hawke {oqq}yellowed{cqq}’ [was the royal fiat]. 1820 Lady Granville Lett. (1894) I. 171 He..gave a droll description of himself as old and fairly yellowed out of the service. 1867 [see yellowing vbl. n.1]. |
▪ III. † yellow, v.2 Obs. rare.
[app. extension of yell v. on the analogy of bell v.4, bellow v. Cf. yelloch.] intr. To yelp; to bellow. Hence
yellowing vbl. n.2 and ppl. a.2| 1600 Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 20 (Qo.) Whilst the babling Ecchoe mocks the hounds,..Let us sit downe and marke theyr yellowing [Folios yelping] noyse. 1629 Mabbe tr. Fonseca's Dev. Contemp. 244 Roaring and yellowing like so many mad Bulls. 1652 Loveday tr. Calprenede's Cassandra ii. 124 Running about the Camp with horrible yellowings. |