α. see blue adj. and n. and riband n.
β. see blue adj. and n. and ribbon n.
blue ribbonn.adj.
/ˌbluː ˈrɪb(ə)n/, U.S. /ˈˌblu ˈˌrɪbən/ A. n.
1.
a. A blue ribbon worn as a badge of honour; esp. the broad dark blue ribbon, originally made of silk, worn by members of the Order of the Garter.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > symbol of rank > [noun] > insignia of order > specific insignia of knightly order
the Garterc1350
collar1488
star1602
blue ribbon1607
yellow ribbon1651
red ribbon1652
string1660
green ribbon1672
crossa1684
glory1693
cordon1727
O.M.1903
M.B.E.1917
OBE1917
α.
β. 1651 Let. from France in Proc. in Parl. No. 116. 1800 The Queen [of France] hath sent to the Count of Doignion..promising him the staffe of the Marshall of France, and of a blew Ribbon.1665 Bp. H. King Serm. 24 He hoped to see the time That a faithful blue Apron should be as good as a Blue Ribbon.1733 Gentleman's Mag. June 304/1 He had the Honour of the Blue Ribbon whilst a Commoner.1867 J. Morley Burke 56 Rising to thunderous denunciations of ‘the noble lord in the blue ribbon.’1987 J. Epstein Once more around Block 56 The maréchal de Choiseul was so immensely pleased by being permitted by Louis XIV to become a member of the order that allowed him to wear a blue ribbon over his coat.1999 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 25 Jan. The Queen..dazzling the populace in her coronation gown, with diamond tiara and the blue ribbon of the Star of the Garter.1607 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Serres in tr. Gen. Inuentorie Hist. France ii. 981 Iustice hath no eyes to regard a Dukes Crowne, a Marshal of France his Staffe, nor a blew Riband.
a1699 W. Temple Ess. Health & Long Life in Miscellanea: 3rd Pt. (1701) 110 A White Staff will not help gouty Feet..nor a Blue Ribband bind up a Wound so well as a Fillet.
1789 E. Butler Jrnl. 26 Mar. in E. M. Bell Hamwood Papers (1930) 192 I am told he [sc. the King] says Pitt must have a Blue Ribband.
1805 R. B. Sheridan Let. 3 Jan. (1966) III. 240 Addington is certainly to be a Peer, and it is said with the blue Ribband.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 615 He stopped a moment to mount a fresh horse and to hide his blue riband and his George.
1993 S. Friar & J. Ferguson Basic Heraldry v. 120 Charles II introduced a broad blue riband, worn over the left shoulder.
b. A blue ribbon awarded to the winner of a contest or competition.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > token of victory or supreme excellence > [noun] > prize > other specific prize
glaivec1380
cupc1640
pewter1814
banner1840
presentation cup1844
blue ribbon1860
ribbon1860
shield1868
special1872
wager-cup1878
presentation bowl1896
rose bowl1970
quaich1971
1860 Janesville (Wisconsin) Daily Gaz. 6 Sept. After the trial, the blue ribbon, the first premium, was placed on the black horse owned by H. E. Pattison.
1891 Forest & Stream 23 Apr. 275/1 In his last appearance in the ring this grand collie was able to carry off the blue ribbon.
1927 Life 13 Oct. 8/3 Our gal won the blue ribbon at the beauty contest!
1981 Cook's Mag. Nov. 48/2 Her two daughters..have won blue ribbons for cooking..at the county fair.
2006 H. Higginson Keeker & Horse Show Show-off 22 Keeker practiced her acceptance speech, for when she would be awarded the blue ribbon.
2.
a. figurative. The greatest distinction available; the most distinguished place, position, etc. Also: the best or highest quality of its type. Frequently with of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > token of victory or supreme excellence > [noun] > prize > first
first prize1550
agonism1592
blue ribbon1770
1770 W. Hooper tr. J. F. von Bielfeld Elements Universal Erudition II. xxv. 411 To be admitted to the honour of being a member of a renowned academy, is to be crowned with the laurels of Apollo: it is to obtain the blue ribbon in the republic of letters.
1799 Gentleman's Mag. May 396/1 Being elected a Curator of the British Museum, that blue ribbon of a scholar.
1852 B. Disraeli Ld. G. Bentinck xxvi. 539 ‘You do not know what the Derby is,’ he moaned out. ‘Yes, I do; it is the blue ribbon of the turf.’
1875 E. Poste tr. Gaius Institutionum Iuris Civilis (ed. 2) i. §7. 37 The blue ribbon of the profession should never be conferred on any lawyer who had antiquarian notions of constitutional law.
1883 Standard 21 May 2/1 The Blue Riband of the Turf is destined to go to Heath House.
1910 F. Galton Let. 8 Oct. in K. Pearson Life, Lett., & Labours F. Galton (1930) III. 611 It [sc. the Copley Medal] is the ‘blue ribbon’ of the scientific world, and I am of course deeply gratified.
1993 World Cup 7s Official Guide May 2/1 Here in Melrose the sport day..is now considered to be the Blue Riband of club tournaments.
b. Usually in form blue riband. Also with capital initials. An unofficial accolade bestowed upon an ocean liner which makes the fastest crossing of the Atlantic on a regular commercial voyage. Now chiefly historical.In later use associated with the Hales Trophy, donated by British MP Harold Hales in 1933. Prior to this, the fastest ship would sometimes display a blue pennant.
ΚΠ
1853 N.-Y. Daily Times 11 July 4/2 The Arabia has proved herself, in point of speed, the Eclipse of the ocean. She has fairly won the blue ribbon of the sea.
1891 Manufacturer & Inventor 21 Sept. 179/3 Steamship companies are on the qui vive to gain and hold the ‘blue ribband’ of the Atlantic.
1930 Economist 4 Oct. 606/1 Merely to win back the blue riband of the Atlantic would not..have been a sufficient reason, for the blue riband, though it may have some advertising value, is not a dividend-payer.
1960 Pop. Sci. May 73/2 She [sc. the ship United States] can produce around 158,000 hp. and she snatched the blue ribbon from the Queen Mary in 1952.
2008 K. Zimmermann Ocean Liners ii. 28/2 The French Line expressed no interest in speed and the Blue Riband, preferring to emphasize luxury.
3. Originally U.S. A blue ribbon worn as a sign that a person has taken a pledge of temperance, or that he or she belongs to a temperance movement. Also in to take the blue ribbon: to take a pledge of temperance; to join a temperance movement. Frequently attributive (cf. Blue Ribbon Army n. at Compounds). Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > abstention from drinking > [noun] > total abstinence > total abstinence society > sign of
blue ribbon1843
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > abstention from drinking > [verb (intransitive)] > totally abstain from alcohol
abstain1784
to put (also keep) in the pin1827
to take (also sign, keep) the pledge1833
teetotal1883
to take the blue ribbon1884
teetotalize1898
1843 Jrnl. Amer. Temperance Union Aug. 124/1 The Washingtonian Temperance Society moves in procession, all wearing the appropriate badge of the Society, a plain blue ribbon.
1878 Sunday School Chron. 3 May 228/3 Thus the population of Great Barrington is 4,320, while there are 2,100 blue-ribbon men.
1884 Graphic 9 Aug. 134/2 At an hotel it might be supposed that most people have taken the Blue Ribbon.
1907 Life & Light for Woman Mar. 109 One after another came up, spoke his or her testimony and took the blue ribbon.
1979 E. West Saloon on Rocky Mountain Mining Frontier vi. 136 The Murphy ‘blue ribbon’ movement also stressed the voluntary reformation of drinkers.
2003 J. S. Blocker et al. Alcohol & Temperance in Mod. Hist 107/2 By the mid-1880s, millions had taken the temperance pledge and donned the blue ribbon.
B. adj.
attributive. Of the highest quality, first-class; comprising, designed for, or characteristic of an elite; (also) designating people of the highest standing or calibre in a particular area or field.See also blue-ribbon jury n., blue-ribbon panel n. at Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being the best > [adjective]
highestOE
bestOE
firstlOE
greatest?c1225
of the besta1350
premiera1500
paramount1530
supremec1550
supreme1571
primer1589
top1647
nulli secundus1742
bestest1751
first class1819
beatemest1831
par excellence1839
première1844
first rate1853
beatenest1860
blue ribbon1860
optimum1885
optimal1890
class A1906
all-star1908
grade A1911
five-star1931
mostest1936
tip-topmost1937
the end1950
the most1953
1860 Bell's Life in London 26 Aug. Suppl. 1/1 In the blue ribbon event he [sc. Imp Glencoe, a racehorse] was about where Umpire got.
1937 E. H. Sutherland Professional Thief 235 Blue-ribbon.., characteristic of persons of education and social standing.
1938 Encycl. Brit. Bk. of Year 100/1 The 31st Tour de France race was won by Roger Lapebie of France..with 98 of Europe's blue-ribbon cyclists participating.
1947 C. Amory Proper Bostonians (1948) vii. 144 A Boston Family which..has never been known to carry off any blue-ribbon honours for civility.
1965 Mrs. L. B. Johnson Diary 3 Oct. (1970) 323 It was a blue ribbon gathering—the Nelson Rockefellers, Speaker and Mrs McCormack, [etc.].
1972 C. Buchanan Maiden iii. 41 That had been a blue-ribbon idea.
1992 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 8 Aug. The men's 100 metres is the blue ribbon event of the Olympics, deciding which man is really the fastest in the world.
2003 New Yorker 21 Apr. 114 (advt.) Blue-ribbon travellers not only expect the best, but they also expect mind-reading from the travel industry.
2006 Wired Dec. 46/1 Companies often wonder: Should we consult a broad opinion poll or a blue-ribbon committee?
Compounds
Blue Ribbon Army n. now historical a group of people who have taken the blue ribbon (sense A. 3); spec. (the name of) an English temperance society whose members wear the blue ribbon.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > abstention from drinking > [noun] > total abstinence > total abstinence society
temperance association1831
temperance society1831
teetotal1834
Band of Hope1847
Good Templary1872
Blue Ribbon Army1877
W.C.T.U.1888
1877 Logansport (Indiana) Jrnl. 4 July 4/2 Fifty-eight persons took the pledge and were enrolled in the Blue Ribbon army.
1878 Christian 16 May (heading) Gospel-Temperance in Hoxton—A ‘Blue Ribbon Army.’
2004 Herald Express (Torquay) (Nexis) 21 Sept. 26 She..later became a supporter of the Temperance cause and even attended meetings of the Blue Ribbon Army.
blue-ribbon jury n. (a) U.S. Law a jury selected for the intellectual and professional abilities of its members in cases of particular complexity or specialization; (b) North American a jury of experts on a particular subject who preside over the giving of an award or prize.
ΚΠ
1900 N.Y. Times 15 July 7/6 (heading) Verdict of the ‘blue ribbon jury’ set aside in Wilkesbarre.
1935 News-Palladium (Benton Harbour, Mich.) 28 Nov. 8/1 All were selected after spirited competition by a blue ribbon jury—35 sports editors..and 50 widely known coaches and officials.
1948 U.S. Rep. (Supreme Court) 332 264 In a state court in New York County, a special or so-called ‘blue-ribbon’ jury..convicted petitioners of extortion and conspiracy to extort.
1993 Stanford Law Rev. 46 81 If we were to establish blue ribbon juries, courts would need the authority to compel their use at trial.
2006 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 15 Mar. (Food section) c1 A blue-ribbon jury of cheese experts from across Canada has selected 41 of the 189 cheeses entered by cheese makers as finalists to qualify for the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix.
blue-ribbon panel n. (a) U.S. Law = blue-ribbon jury n. (a); (b) North American a panel of experts on a particular subject.
ΚΠ
1925 N.Y. Suppl. 208 190 The jury was a special one, known as a ‘blue-ribbon’ panel; everyone..had signed affidavits in regard to their qualifications.
1947 Mich. Law Rev. 46 262 Defendants objected to the ‘blue ribbon’ panel on grounds of denial of due process and equal protection.
1969 Wall St. Jrnl. 3 July 10/2 The announced formation of blue-ribbon panel to study the Defense Department is both timely and potentially promising.
1987 Tennis July 101/2 He immediately appointed a blue-ribbon panel of 23 members of the tennis community, people representing the game at many levels.
2009 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 12 Jan. a1/1 A blue-ribbon panel of 15 nanotechnology experts warned the federal government last summer that action is ‘urgently’ needed to assess the potential risks of these tiny particles.
Derivatives
blue ˈribboner n. originally U.S. (now historical) (also with capital initials) a person who belongs to a temperance movement, the members of which wear the blue ribbon (sense A. 3); (more generally) a person who abstains from alcohol; a teetotaller.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > abstention from drinking > [noun] > total abstinence > total abstainer
water-drinker1440
abstainerc1475
Rechabite1637
drink-watera1641
hydropotist1678
hydropot1727
teetotal1834
teetotaller1834
teetotalist1840
Washingtonian1842
Good Templar1853
teetotalleress1854
blue-ribbonist1858
nephalist1861
total abstainer1862
blue-ribbonite1867
totec1870
Templar1874
blue ribboner1878
total abstinent1882
water butt1882
white ribboner1886
non-drinker1910
pioneer1912
T.T.1922
1878 Daily Rocky Mountain News (Denver) 5 Mar. 4/5 The meeting place of the blue ribboners never looked more cosy or comfortable than last evening.
1935 K. L. Roberts in K. Roberts Reader (2002) xi. 174 American undergraduates are almost blue-ribboners by comparison with Oxford's clubmen and undergraduate drinkers when they let themselves go.
1991 G. Rainbow in C. Macdonald et al. Bk. N.Z. Women 523 She was a member of the Wellington Ladies' Christian Association..and a Blue Ribboner.
blue-ˈribbonism n. now historical (also with capital initials) the beliefs and practices of those temperance movements whose members wear the blue ribbon (sense A. 3); (more generally) temperance, teetotalism.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > abstention from drinking > [noun] > total abstinence
total abstinence1831
teetotalism1834
Rechabitism1841
Good Templarism1859
nephalism1860
blue-ribbonism1867
total abstention1880
temperance1887
Templarism1888
1867 Wrexham & Denbighshire Advertiser 6 July 6/4 Blue Ribbonism says that it is better to enter into life maimed than into death whole.
1920 Unpartizan Rev. Oct. 295 There were occasional periods of blue-ribbonism, during which his voice was raucous in denunciation of the devil that lurked in the glass.
1984 P. Barnes Barnes Ancestry xix. 60 By 1883 we find him espousing the cause of Total Abstinence from liquor, or Blue Ribbonism as it was then called.
blue-ˈribbonist n. now rare (also with capital initials) = blue ribboner n.In quot. 1858: a person who adheres mechanically to official rules and formalities.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > abstention from drinking > [noun] > total abstinence > total abstainer
water-drinker1440
abstainerc1475
Rechabite1637
drink-watera1641
hydropotist1678
hydropot1727
teetotal1834
teetotaller1834
teetotalist1840
Washingtonian1842
Good Templar1853
teetotalleress1854
blue-ribbonist1858
nephalist1861
total abstainer1862
blue-ribbonite1867
totec1870
Templar1874
blue ribboner1878
total abstinent1882
water butt1882
white ribboner1886
non-drinker1910
pioneer1912
T.T.1922
1858 Liverpool Mercury 5 Mar. It may be well to remind the red-tapists or blue-ribbonists of the Foreign Office that, even from their point of view, Parliamentary control over diplomatic business would not be without a certain convenience.
1882 Knowledge 29 Sept. 300/1 I am no ‘Blue Ribbonist’, but I do think that there is no state of man where alcohol is really essential.
1961 J. M. S. Baljon Mod. Muslim Koran Interpr. (1968) i. 1 He [sc. a Christian] may be a blue-ribbonist, despite an undeniable appreciation of wine by the Bible.
blue-ˈribbonite n. British (now rare) (also with capital initials) = blue ribboner n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > abstention from drinking > [noun] > total abstinence > total abstainer
water-drinker1440
abstainerc1475
Rechabite1637
drink-watera1641
hydropotist1678
hydropot1727
teetotal1834
teetotaller1834
teetotalist1840
Washingtonian1842
Good Templar1853
teetotalleress1854
blue-ribbonist1858
nephalist1861
total abstainer1862
blue-ribbonite1867
totec1870
Templar1874
blue ribboner1878
total abstinent1882
water butt1882
white ribboner1886
non-drinker1910
pioneer1912
T.T.1922
1867 Wrexham & Denbighshire Advertiser 6 July 6/3 This rising port upon the ‘wizard Dee’ was invaded by a pic-nic party of the ‘Llanfynydd Blue Ribbonites’, upwards of a hundred strong, on Tuesday last.
1934 W. W. Gill Manx Dial. ii. 99 Ewan Christian, the revivalist and blue-ribbonite.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.adj.1607