a bolt from the blue
/ə ˌbəʊlt frəm ðə ˈbluː/NEUTRAL · C1
Meaning
something important that happens completely unexpectedly
Examples
- 1The news that the factory was closing came as a bolt from the blue to everyone in town.
- 2Her resignation was a bolt from the blue; nobody in the office had seen it coming.
- 3After ten years of silence, a letter from my long-lost cousin arrived like a bolt from the blue.
- 4Was the job offer from the London studio a bolt from the blue, or had you applied?
- 5Dad never wins anything, so the phone call about the raffle prize was a bolt from the blue.
Grammar
Usually after be, come as or like. Keep a and the blue; the blue means the sky. Also a bolt out of the blue.
More idioms about weather
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →get wind ofto hear about something that was meant to be secretlightning never strikes twicethe same bad luck is unlikely to happen againrain on your paradeto spoil a plan or a happy moment for someoneon thin icein a risky position where trouble could easily followit never rains but it poursbad things tend to happen all at the same timeblow hot and coldto keep changing your attitude towards something
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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