 I was watching Jeopardy tonight and the answer was something like "Its egg is described as sky blue." Of course I knew the answer to be the robin. I am from Michigan and the robin is the state bird. There eggs are indeed sky blue, so very pretty. In fact I think I remember collecting the discarded shells from a nest or on the ground where they landed after the hatching robins left them after breaking free. Fun to look at and admire, but soon discarded like so many things kids collect. In the late 1950s, one of the favorite colors for cars, especially Ford Thunderbirds, was robin's egg blue. If I am not mistaken, I believe the car Suzanne Somers drove in American Graffiti was one. Anyway, for some reason, the whole robin's egg blue thing made me think about how when I would ask my mother a question, especially as it regarded color, if she didn't know the answer, she would say, "Sky-blue pink," when she didn't know the answer. And if she was particularly befuddled or frustrated or just annoyed, she would embellish it with, "sky-blue pink with yellow polka dots." Or maybe "...with green roses." In other words, I don't know, just stop. So imagine my surprise when I googled the phrase and found out it was a real thing! Yep, goes way back. It was popular in London, but apparently originated here in the states. Who knew? You can read all about it here: Sky-Blue Pink Etymology. This of course is just one of the expressions I heard growing up, usually from my mother or my grandmother. And sometimes they come back to me while watching Jeopardy. And to think they actually were real things! I could write a book. In the meantime, there is a short animated film starring the Pink Panther called Sky Blue Pink! Enjoy! Don't say I don't inform, educate and entertain. Where else would you get all this in one blog?
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Rob McMurray,
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