English · Idiom Historical

Ingrain Colours

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

See KNAVE IN GRAIN under GRAIN. Inhibition, in psychology, is an unconscious force forbidding what would otherwise be an impulse or urge.

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.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “Ingrain Colours” mean?

See KNAVE IN GRAIN under GRAIN. Inhibition, in psychology, is an unconscious force forbidding what would otherwise be an impulse or urge.

Is “Ingrain Colours” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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