red-white-and-blue
UK[ˌred ˌwaɪt ən ˈbluː]US[ˌred ˌwaɪt ən ˈbluː]
adj
Consisting of or using the colors red, white, and blue, especially as a symbol of national identity (e.g., of the United States or the United Kingdom).
adj
Characteristic of or expressing patriotic sentiment, especially of the United States.
Etymology
The phrase 'red-white-and-blue' is a modern English compound formed by the straightforward conjunction of three basic color terms. 'Red' derives from Proto-Germanic raudaz, 'white' from Proto-Germanic hwītaz, and 'blue' from Old French 'bleu', of Germanic origin. Its specific symbolic meaning is a 19th-century development, directly linking the literal colors to the national flags of countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. The phrase thus evolved from a simple descriptive term into a potent metonym for national identity and patriotism, its logic residing entirely in the visual and heraldic association with these nations' banners.
Analysis
This is a fixed, hyphenated compound phrase. It is not productively formed from separate morphemes but is a lexicalized combination of three color adjectives.
Examples
The parade was a sea of red-white-and-blue flags and bunting.
The speech was full of red-white-and-blue rhetoric appealing to national pride.
They decorated the hall in a red-white-and-blue theme for the Independence Day celebration.