In the US and increasingly in the rest of the world, the holiday retail season kicks off on the Friday following Thanksgiving. Black Friday is the day when eager bargain hunters fill the streets en masse to find the lowest prices and best offers on Christmas gifts.

And although we can’t offer you a deal on an amazing flatscreen TV this week, we want to give you a little literary inspiration – related to the color black in different languages. Here are 10 expressions you may not have known in 5 different languages. Enjoy!

English

“Pot is calling the kettle black” (Any excuse for the Anglo-Saxons to make a tea-related reference!)

Meaning: You should not criticize someone for a fault that you have too. A bit like, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

“To be in the black”

Meaning: To show a financial profit.

French

“Le petit noir” (Literally: The little black)

A small cup of black coffee in a barrista.

“Broyer du noir” (Literally: To crush black)

Meaning: To have the blues.

German

“Ins Schwarze treffen” (Literally: To hit the black)

Meaning: To hit the mark or get something just right.

“Schwarz-weiß denken” (Literally: To think black and white)

Meaning: To see everything very simplistically

Italian

“Mettere nero su bianco” (Literally: To put black on white)

Meaning: To put the details of something down on paper.

“Non distinguere il bianco dal nero” (Literally: To not distinguish white from black).

Meaning : To not see things clearly.

Spanish

“Negro sobre blanco” (Literally: Black on white)

Meaning: When something is expressed clearly, and documented / recorded

“Ser la oveja negra de la familia” (Literally: To be the black sheep of the family – which is of course used in many languages)

Meaning: To be an outcast / bad character in an otherwise respectable group.

That’s all from us! You can probably think of loads more colorful expressions – just drop us a line. Happy Black Friday.

And if you want to improve your language skills with a flexible online solution, check out Speexx.