Blue Guards
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
So the Oxford Blues, now called the Royal Horse Guards, were called during the campaign in Flanders (1742-5).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Blue Guards” mean?
So the Oxford Blues, now called the Royal Horse Guards, were called during the campaign in Flanders (1742-5).
Is “Blue Guards” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.