One of the most popular colours is black. As a colour, it symbolizes the absence of colours and also darkness, fear and death.
It is a strict colour which inspires stability and seriousness. For all the above reasons, it is used mainly with a negative meaning in phrases and proverbs. Here you can find some of these phrases, very common ones and also characteristic of Greek everyday’s life :

“Black” expressions in the Greek language.

“Το μαύρο μας το χάλι” / Our black mess:
it describes a very bad situation or a period in life (at work, personally etc).

“Είμαι στις μαύρες μου” / I’m in my blacks:
I’m not in the mood.

“Έχω μαύρα μεσάνυχτα” / I have black midnight:
I have no idea.

“Η μαύρη αλήθεια” / The black truth:
the unpleasant and sad truth.

“Μαύρη ώρα και στιγμή” / Black time and moment:
a common way to damn a moment which was the beginning of big troubles.

“Ρίχνω μαύρη πέτρα πίσω μου” / I throw a black stone behind me:
this is said when somebody leaves from a place he never wants to return to.

“Θα τα βάψω μαύρα” ή “Θα φορέσω μαύρα” / I will paint them black (or I’ll get dressed in black):
An ironic way to say that something may be important for others but is completely indifferent to you.

“Μαυρίζω κάποιον στις εκλογές” / I’m blackening someone in the elections:
expression of disapprovement for a politician.

“Το μαύρο πρόβατο” / The black sheep:
the one who should be blamed, the one responsible for a bad situation…

“Μαύρισε η καρδιά μου” / My heart became black:
I was very sorry about something.

“Μαύρη αγορά” / Black market: Unacceptably high profiteering.

“Τα βλέπω όλα μαύρα” / I see everything black:
I’m very pessimistic, I see nothing positive

“Ρίχνω μαύρο δάκρυ” / I shed black tears:
I cried from depth of my heart.

“Μαύρα μαντάτα” / Black news:
very bad news.

“Μαύρισαν τα μάτια μας μέχρι να σε ξαναδούμε” / Our eyes became black until seeing you:
it’s such a long, long time we haven’t seen you.

“Μ’ έζωσαν μάυρα φίδια” / Black snakes surrounded me:
Νegative thoughts and feelings filled my mind.

“Μαύρη είναι η νύχτα στα βουνά” / Black is the night in the mountains:
an expression which is used very commonly when we want to show that somebody is out of reality or that a situation is very bad.

“Μαύρα λεφτά” / Black money:
Illegal money.

“Μαύρο χιούμορ” / Black humor:
bad or negative sense of humor.

“Μαύρη τρύπα” / Black hole (economy):
cash deficit, a system of opacity that can make public money disappear.

                                          © Lato,
Het Griekse Taal– & CultuurCentrum van Amsterdam