# Out of the Blue



## ThomasK

Why do unexpected things fall out of the blue (sky) ? Or out of a bright sky ('aus heiterem Himmel') ? Or just tell me: where do unexpected things fall from in your language ? 

_(Please translate and try to indicate the precise origin of the expression)_

There is some information at http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=10333&highlight=out+of+the+blue, but it is mainly about English and Spanish ('nada'). So I would like to hear more variants and more explanations...


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## Stéphane89

In French we say *"venir de nulle part"*, litterally *"to come from nowhere"*. I don't know the origin of the expression.


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## ThomasK

Like in Spanish : ' ... de nada', so I gathered... Well, it seems clear as such, doesn't it ?


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## jazyk

In Portuguese: do nada.


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## Kanes

In Bulgarian:

_poiavise ot nikade_ = apeared from nowhere
_padna ot nebeto_ = fell from the sky


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## ThomasK

So, no particular sky, Kanes ? 

I am beginnning to suppose the expression will be based on the fact that the idea comes *from a place far away*, not to be reached by mortals, or *from an unknown place* ('nada', 'nikade'). 

It would be fun to hear about non-Indo-Germanic languages now to see if that hypothesis is confirmed...


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## Mahaodeh

In Arabic they may use طلع من تحت الأرض = came from under the ground; but it's not used exactly in the same way, it's usually used in a negative way. Usually they just say "unexpectedly".


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## ThomasK

That is interesting. But then there is no positive expression ?


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## sabrinita85

In Italian: *caduto dal cielo*. (= fall out of the sky)


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## mietagosia

In Polish, similarly to Bulgarian, we say "pojawić się/zjawić się znikąd" (=to come from nowhere), "spaść z nieba" (= to fall from the sky, used in a positive way, when something good happens totally unexpectedly). There is also a negative expression related to sky: "spaść jak grom z jasnego nieba" (literally "to fall like a thunder from a bright sky"). Native speakers apply it eg when you receive bad news that surprise you. That's all I can think of at the moment...Cheers!


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## ThomasK

You're right: _thunder from a bright sky_ is something we also have in Dutch, referring to an unexpected bad news indeed. But I thought there was one big difference, that things from the sky are unexpected and new, but it seems untrue, just unexpected and not quite negative - or so I think. 

Interesting addition, Mietagosia !


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## ThomasK

Why must the sky be blue in some languages for [new] things to fall out of it ? (And why is it the equivalent 'out of nothing' ?)


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## Outsider

I don't think the sky needs to look blue. "Blue" is simply a metaphor for the sky in those idioms.


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## ThomasK

I wonder, you know: German refers to a "heiterem [jolly, sunny, ...] Himmel" ! So for some the sky does need to be blue (bluish) to produce its results ! ;-)


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## ThomasK

But now I noticed that the link with 'heiterem Himmel' has to do with the unexpectedness of the event. Sometimes one can find 'wie ein Blitz aus heiterem Hilmmel' : you do not expect to hear or see a streak of lightning from 'out of the blue'/ the blue sky indeed. 

I had thought of things like a _deus ex machina_, unexpected solutions for problems. But I seem mistaken. Or does anyone think the idea of gratitude is somehow implied ? I suppose it is by no means a part of the expression, but I am checking...


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## Lugubert

ThomasK said:


> But now I noticed that the link with 'heiterem Himmel' has to do with the unexpectedness of the event. Sometimes one can find 'wie ein Blitz aus heiterem Hilmmel' : you do not expect to hear or see a streak of lightning from 'out of the blue'/ the blue sky indeed.


(typo: Himmel, not Hilmmel)
Swedish also uses lightning from a clear sky: "Som en blixt från klar himmel."


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## ThomasK

The main thing about the sky seems to be that it is clear (SWE klar), blue, not giving rise to suspicion regarding what might follow... My starting point was simply wrong. 

Thanks !


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## Arsène

Hi!

In Spanish: "Caído del cielo".

Greetings,


Arsène


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## Sand_Sea

Hello everyone!
In Romanian it would be : "din senin" ( from the clear blue sky) or " de nicăieri" (from nowhere).


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## Joannes

ThomasK said:


> Like in Spanish : ' ... de nada', so I gathered... Well, it seems clear as such, doesn't it ?


In Dutch as well: *uit het niets*.

*Uit de lucht vallen* and *uit de hemel vallen* mean two different things.


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## ThomasK

You're right. I was misled by the German 'aus heiterem Himmel', I guess. 

But then: do we really use "uit de hemel vallen" ? "Een geschenk [a present] uit de hemel", yes, but... I checked very quickly, maybe too quickly, and did not find it...


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## Perseas

_Moderator's note: New thread has been merged with an existing thread. You may want to read from the very beginning._

---

Hello,

according to thefreedictionary.com, if something happens _out of the blue_, it happens suddenly and you are not expecting it. _Out of nowhere_ is another English phrase I can remember with similar meaning.

In Greek we use: _σαν κεραυνός εν αιθρία_ (lit. meaning "like a bolt in the clear sky")-- /san kera'vnos en e'θria/
In German (I think) it is : _(wie) aus heiterem Himmel_.

What are the equivalent idioms in other languages, if any?

Thank you!


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## ilocas2

Czech:

*zčista jasna* - from clean clear
*jako blesk z čistého nebe* - like lightning from clean sky
*z ničeho nic* - from nothing nothing
*znenadání*


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## arielipi

Hebrew:
kera'am beyom bahir - like lightning  on a bright day.


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