- Meaning
- This idiom describes something happening suddenly, unexpectedly, or shockingly, as if a lightning bolt strikes from a clear blue sky without warning. It conveys a dramatic, unforeseen event or revelation, used in emotional, narrative, or situational contexts to highlight abrupt change or surprise, carrying a tone of awe, shock, or disruption. The phrase reflects cultural associations of lightning with divine or cosmic intervention, capturing the human experience of being caught off guard by life’s unpredictability. It resonates in storytelling and everyday speech, where sudden twists or news demand vivid description, and often implies a transformative or jarring moment that shifts perspectives or circumstances, making it a powerful metaphor for the unexpected.
- Origin
- The phrase has roots in ancient mythology, where lightning was seen as a divine act, as in Zeus’ thunderbolts in Greek tales. Its English form emerged in the 19th century, tied to Romantic literature’s fascination with nature’s power, with an early use in Thomas Carlyle’s 1837 *The French Revolution*: ‘A bolt from the blue.’ The idiom gained traction in Victorian Britain, reflecting a culture of dramatic expression, as seen in Charles Dickens’ *Bleak House* (1853), where sudden plot twists abound. Its use grew in 20th-century American English, particularly in journalism and fiction, amplified by Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic tales and later by radio dramas. The phrase’s adoption was fueled by its poetic imagery, evoking a clear sky shattered by lightning, and its applicability to sudden events, from personal shocks to global crises, ensured its spread across English-speaking cultures. Its use in World War II reporting, describing surprise attacks, and in modern media, like *The New York Times*, cemented its enduring popularity, from weather metaphors to emotional upheavals.
- Variants
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- Like a bolt from the blue
- Bolt from the blue
- Like a thunderbolt from the blue
- Out of the blue like a bolt
- Examples
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- Her resignation came like a bolt from the blue, shocking the entire team.
- Bolt from the blue, the news of the merger caught investors off guard.
- Like a thunderbolt from the blue, his diagnosis changed everything.
- Out of the blue like a bolt, she received a job offer from her dream company.
- The storm hit like a bolt from the blue, with no warning on the forecast.
- Like a bolt from the blue, the old friend’s call rekindled forgotten memories.
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