The Oxford Blues
Preserved but no longer current.
The Royal Horse Guards were so called in 1690, from the Earl of Oxford their commander and the blue facings. Wellington, in one of his dispatches, writes* — "I have been appointed colonel, of the Blues.
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 “The Oxford Blues” mean?
The Royal Horse Guards were so called in 1690, from the Earl of Oxford their commander and the blue facings. Wellington, in one of his dispatches, writes* — "I have been appointed colonel, of the Blues.
Is “The Oxford Blues” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.