year in year out
Preserved but no longer current.
All the year round, without cessation. Yellow (A.S. geolo> connected with Gr. chhros, green, and with gall, the yellowish fluid secreted by the bile). Indicating in symbolism jealousy, inconstancy, and adultery. In France the doors of traitors used to be daubed with yellow. In some countries the law ordained that Jews must be clothed in yellow, because they betrayed our Lord, hence Judas, in mediaeval pictures, is arrayed in yellow.
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 “year in year out” mean?
All the year round, without cessation. Yellow (A.S. geolo> connected with Gr. chhros, green, and with gall, the yellowish fluid secreted by the bile). Indicating in symbolism jealousy, inconstancy, and adultery. In France the doors of traitors used to be daubed with yellow. In some countries the law ordained that Jews must be clothed in yellow, because they betrayed our Lord, hence Judas, in mediaeval pictures, is arrayed in yellow.
Is “year in year out” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.