I got a kind of round about question concerning the term \u201cblue blazes.\u201d Apparently it came via Facebook \u2014 a part of the Internet that I don\u2019t pay much attention to and only look at on occasion. But anyhow, the subject today is blue blazes.
When I heard the term, I immediately thought that I knew what it was\u2026 interestingly enough, I wouldn\u2019t have known before we moved here to West Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may, or may not, know that we live very near the Appalachian Trail. I\u2019ve never \u201chiked\u201d the trail, but I\u2019ve been on it a number of times since we\u2019ve moved here. The Appalachian Trail is marked by white \u201cblazes\u201d along the entire trail \u2014 from Georgia to Maine. You follow these blazes to make sure you stay on the trail and don\u2019t get lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before I go any further, (one) definition of blaze comes from the Old Norse word \u201cblesi,\u201d which means a spot or patch of white on the face of a horse or other animal. To \u201cblaze\u201d a trail originally meant to strip a patch of bark from trees along a route, exposing the lighter wood underneath, and therefore marking the trail. Those white markers on the Appalachian Trail serve just that purpose and are referred to as blazes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now back to \u201cblue\u201d blazes\u2026. blue blazes are alternate Appalachian Trail route markers. There are many blue blazes along the Appalachian, most of which lead a short distance off the main trail to water sources, shelters, camping sites, or some spectacular view. I might note that there are other colors of blazes also located along the trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So to summarize, a blaze is a trail marker to help hikers follow a given path \u2014 the blazes are usually used to indicate the beginning or ending of the trail or a change of direction, or maybe an intersection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That would be my response to what in blue blazes does blue blazes mean. However, the term blue blazes has fallen into the idiom category \u2014 a phrase that isn\u2019t meant to be taken literally. Idioms are are often used because someone can\u2019t come up with a better, more descriptive or dramatic way of expressing himself. I\u2019ve heard people say, \u201cI haven\u2019t seen you in blue blazes,\u201d or \u201cwhere in blue blazes have you been?\u201d or \u201chow in blue blazes am I supposed to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you look it up, one definition of \u201cblaze\u201d pertains to fire. This use of blaze referring to fire comes from a very old German word, \u201cblason\u201d that means torch. The term blazes is used often as a slang expression referring to the flames of Hell. If you\u2019re partial to this definition, and you say, \u201cwhere in blue blazes have you been?\u201d you\u2019re really saying, \u201cwhere the hell\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As far as the \u201cblue\u201d part goes\u2026. I\u2019m not sure, but if you remember in chemistry or science class, the blue part of the flame of your bunsen burner was the hottest, so attaching blue to blazes might mean that you\u2019re referring to the most intense part of the fire\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember hearing my dad use the term \u201cblazes\u201d occasionally and I don\u2019t think he ever took a hike, but the fact that I traditionally think of blazes in connection with a trail just shows that we really are influenced by out environment\u2026 I guess I\u2019ve become a real West Virginia Mountaineer.
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I got a kind of round about question concerning the term \u201cblue blazes.\u201d Apparently it came via Facebook \u2014 a part of the Internet that I don\u2019t pay much attention to and only look at on occasion. But anyhow, the … Continue reading