blue laws
Preserved but no longer current.
This is a phrase used in U.S.A. to describe laws which interfere with personal freedom, tastes and habits, such as sumptuary laws and those regulating private morals. The name was .first given to several laws of this kind said to have been imposed in the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven in the early 18th century.
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 laws” mean?
This is a phrase used in U.S.A. to describe laws which interfere with personal freedom, tastes and habits, such as sumptuary laws and those regulating private morals. The name was .first given to several laws of this kind said to have been imposed in the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven in the early 18th century.
Is “blue laws” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.