off-colour
/ˌɒf ˈkʌlə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɔːf ˈkʌlər/ (ame, ipa)
off-colour — adjective
1. slightly unwell, or looking as if you are not fully well yet.
slightly unwell, or looking as if you are not fully well yet.
Nkechi looked a little off-colour after skipping breakfast on the train.
look off-colour after + cause
By noon, Henry still felt off-colour and stayed home from work.
feel off-colour + result
The baby seemed off-colour, so Christopher called the clinic for advice.
During the meeting, Elise looked off-colour and asked to open a window.
- unwell
neutral and broad, suitable in many situations
- under the weather
more informal, often for a brief period of illness
- peaky
British and more about looking pale or tired
- queasy
more specific, often about feeling sick in the stomach
文法句型
look/feel/seem off-colour
用法筆記
Usually follows linking verbs such as 'look,' 'feel,' or 'seem.' It suggests mild, temporary illness rather than a serious medical condition.
常見錯誤
2. a little crude or likely to offend, usually because it makes sexual jokes or ref
a little crude or likely to offend, usually because it makes sexual jokes or references.
Kenji apologized after telling an off-colour joke at the staff dinner.
off-colour joke
The host ended the call when the guest made off-colour comments on air.
off-colour comments
Some parents complained that the film's off-colour humour was not suitable for children.
Mert's off-colour remark made the whole table go quiet for a moment.
文法句型
off-colour joke
off-colour remark
用法筆記
Most often appears before nouns such as 'joke,' 'remark,' 'humour,' or 'comment.' It refers to crude sexual joking, not to ordinary impoliteness or anger.