eau de nil

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from French eau de nil (literally water of the Nile).

Noun

[edit]

eau de nil (plural eau de nils)

  1. A pale green colour.
    eau de nil:  
    • 1968, Alan Burgess, The Word for Love[1], page 241:
      It was a sprawling town of upended concrete boxes tilting pastel rectangles up towards the hot sun: soft blues, prawn reds, pale chocolates, delicate eau de nils, primrose yellows [] .
    • 2000, Ciarán Carson, Fishing for Amber[2], page 143:
      Such colouring! — slate blues, coral pinks, pale amphitrites, the wet cobblestone blue of mussels, frail sea-forget-me-nots, anemone yellows and carmines, emeralds and eau-de-nils!
    • 2009, Debra Adelaide, The Household Guide to Dying[3], page 298:
      He had painted the ceiling and window and doorframes an aqua green, the walls eau-de-nil.
    • 2011, Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight:
      Possibly the mauve one would look better,’ said Letitia, ‘although I have always been told that eau-de-nil is really my colour. By the way, could I make things up to you in some way by having you as my chief bridesmaid?

Adjective

[edit]

eau de nil

  1. Of a pale green colour.

See also

[edit]