out of the blue meaning?

Question

What's the meaning of "out of the blue" idiom? Please give me some examples!

Answer 1

 

More examples:

Ipswich came to me out of the blue and brought me back into management.
My car just, out of the blue, stopped running .  I don't know why.
Out of the blue, he received a reclassification notice; his new job was cleaning latrines.
Out of the blue appeared a steamer with huge loudspeakers mounted on its decks.
An idea had come to him like a bolt out of the blue.
Then, out of the blue, the police came to the rescue.
A few weeks later Linda called Sue out of the blue to say she and John were headed to New York.
It just stopped out of the blue, I don't know why.
And now, out of the blue, that phone call, and here she was.
But Ryan's father does not accept defeat, and out of the blue, he s found a new ally.
 

Answer 2

Idiom Usage:

Out of the blue is definitely informal although it could be used in some more formal situations.
 

Answer 3

Idiom Scenario 6:

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Two friends are talking ...

Friend 1:  Are you going to go to Canada again this year?
Friend 2:  I was planning to but ...
Friend 1:  What happened?
Friend 2:  I was planning my trip when, out of the blue, the Canadian government announced that Visas would be required for all travellers.
Friend 1:  No warning, no notice?
Friend 2:  None!

Answer 4

Idiom Scenario 5:

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Two friend are talking ...

Friend 1:  Have you found a job yet?
Friend 2:  Yes, I have, thank you?
Friend 1:  Tell me about it.
Friend 2:  Well, as you know, I had been looking for a job for almost a year.  I had begun to despair that I wouldn't find a job when, out of the blue, a recruitment agency gave me a call to set up an interview.  I got the job!

Answer 5

Idiom Scenario 4:

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Two friends are talking ...

Friend 1:  I haven't seen you for a while.  How have you been?
Friend 2:  OK.  Although recently I have started suffering from migraine headaches.
Friend 1:  That's terrible.  What happened?
Friend 2:  There was nothing new in my life.  I hadn't changed anything. The migraines just started out of the blue.

Answer 6

Idiom Scenario 3:

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Two computer programmers are talking ...

Programmer 1:  Have you found a solution to that tricky problem you've been working on for months?
Programmer 2:  In fact, I have.  I was driving to work the other day humming to the radio and the solution just came to me out of the blue.
Programmer 1:  You've got to like it when that happens.

Answer 7

Idiom Scenario 2:

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Two friends are talking ...

Friend 1:  You'll never guess who stopped by my apartment yesterday. Do you remember Joe?
Friend 1:  Sure.  He went off on a world adventure last year.
Friend 2:  Well, he came to visit me out of the blue.
Friend 1:  No warning? No postcard?  He just arrived?
Friend 2:  Just like that!

Answer 8

Idiom Scenario 1:

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A husband and wife are talking ...

Husband:  It's OK when your mother comes to visit.  It would be nice if she gave us some notice.
Wife: My mother didn't tell me that she was coming to visit.
Husband:  You mean that she arrived out of the blue?
Wife:  Yes.  I did not expect her.  She didn't mention anything to me.

Answer 9

Idiom Definition:

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"out of the blue"

suddenly and unexpectedly

Synonyms: abrupt, expeditious, fast, flash, fleet, hasty, headlong, hurried, immediate, impetuous, impulsive, precipitous, quick, rapid, rush, rushing, shocking, startling, stunning, sudden, surprise, surprising, unanticipated, unaware, unawares, unforeseen, unplanned, unprepared