TRUE-BLUE adjective (troo-bloo)

adjective

1. unwaveringly loyal or faithful; staunch; unchangingly true.

Quotes

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen rode into town in the 1950s on the new main street of the United States, the television set, like a true-blue American hero.
--*Paul Vitello,*"Remembrance, and Maybe Sainthood, for Bishop Fulton J. Sheen," New York Times, December 9, 2009

... Mehmet had a great sense of humor and was a true-blue friend.
--*Orhan Pamuk,*The New Life, translated by Güneli Gün, 1997



Origin

There are several theories about the origin of the phrase true-blue. One is that the phrase derives from the blue cloth made in Coventry, England, in the late Middle Ages (ca. 1500). The dyers of the town had a reputation for producing cloth that didn't fade with washing but remained colorfast, or “true.” The phrase is also associated with the Covenanters (Scottish Presbyterians) of the 17th century, whose flag, a white St. Andrew’s Cross on a blue field (still the national flag of Scotland), was in opposition to the red scarves of the Royalist cavalry. The sense of “steadfast loyalty” was adopted especially by conservative political parties. The phrase entered English in the 17th century.