blue ribbon
English
Alternative forms
- blue-ribbon (attributive use)
Etymology
Perhaps a calque translation of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French cordon bleu (“blue ribbon”) worn by knights of the highest order of chivalry or after Blue Riband, a sailing award.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Noun
blue ribbon (plural blue ribbons)
- The highest honor or prize awarded in some competitions and contests.
- Mom's strawberry jam won the blue ribbon at the Holland County Fair three years running.
- (Can we date this quote by Farrar and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- These [scholarships] were the blue ribbon of the college.
- The emblem of the Order of the Garter.
- The badge adopted by a teetotal society.
- (Internet) A badge worn or displayed to advocate freedom from online censorship.
- The icon of the blue ribbon on her site should not be taken to mean she opposes parental filtration programs.
Adjective
blue ribbon (not comparable)
- Very superior in quality, style, or substance.
- The governor selected a cadre of blue ribbon social scientists to serve on her poverty task force.
- (Australia, informal, politics) pertaining to the Liberal Party, its supporters and regions.