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black and white and blue / black, white, and blue / black-white-blue

English translation: black, white and blue

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	black and white and blue / black, white, and blue / black-white-blue
English translation:	black, white and blue
Entered by:	Sheila Wilson

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17:18 Nov 26, 2011

English to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

English term or phrase: black and white and blue / black, white, and blue / black-white-blue

Which (if any of those) is the correct way to write a sequence of three or more colours combined in a single item or pattern? The contexts I have in mind are such that require mentioning this sequence as pre-modifying or post-modifying a noun, e.g.

"The wall is painted in (+colours+) stripes."
or
"The Russian flag is (+colours+)".

Suppose there is no option of rephrasing this using words like "tricolor", after which the colours would merely be listed.

Piotr Czyżewski KudoZ activity Questions: 68 (none open) (1 without valid answers) Answers: 316 Poland
Local time: 03:05

black, white and blue

Explanation:
normal rule for adjectives - nothing special for colours except that it's B+W, not W+B

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Note added at 30 mins (2011-11-26 17:48:47 GMT)
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One of the oldest jokes in the book: what's black, white and re(a)d all over? - A newspaper! It really loses something when you write it down! But I never did get the knack of telling jokes.

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Note added at 31 mins (2011-11-26 17:49:50 GMT)
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Asker: Please note that there is no second comma

Selected response from:

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 02:05

Grading comment

Thank you very much!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +10

black, white and blue

Sheila Wilson

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

28 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +10

black, white and blue

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 02:05
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20

Grading comment

Thank you very much!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Jack Doughty: Old British patriotic song: "Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue!"

9 mins

-> Thanks. I'm a little ashamed to say I didn't know that!

agree

cmwilliams

13 mins

-> Thanks

agree

oraki

14 mins

-> Thanks

agree

Veronika McLaren

27 mins

-> Thanks

agree

Charles Davis: Yep. I immediately thought of that old gag too. There would (normally) be a second comma (after white) in US English.

41 mins

-> Thanks. Cor blimey, you Yanks don't half talk funny! :-)

agree

yx37029

3 hrs

-> Thanks

agree

humbird: Agree with Charles, or I would think there are only two colors, namely black and a color which is a mixture of white and blue whatever it looks like. BTW in US not all Americans are Yankees. These are guy and gals who lives in the East.

3 hrs

-> Thanks. I'm sure if the text names 3 colours,, then we must follow suit. Apologies, it was a trite comment - no offence intended :-)

agree

Steve Dreggs

4 hrs

-> Thanks

agree

LaraBarnett

15 hrs

-> Thanks

agree

Mohd shadab

1 day12 hrs

-> Thanks

Voters for reclassification
as
PRO / non-PRO

Non-PRO (1): LaraBarnett

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Changes made by editors

Nov 28, 2011 - Changes made by Sheila Wilson:
Created KOG entry	KudoZ term => KOG term

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black and white and blue / black, white, and blue / black-white-blue

English translation: black, white and blue

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black and white and blue / black, white, and blue / black-white-blue

English translation: black, white and blue

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.