When you walk into a paint store, you can always ask for basic — not to mention, boring — colors like white or beige, but it is far more entertaining to stump the employee behind the counter by requesting one of the most unusual colors in the English language:
Bisque: light grayish brown
Bittersweet Orange: strong reddish orange
Cattleya: medium purple
Damask: grayish red
Jasper: blackish green
Orpiment: Golden yellow
Puce: dark cranberry red
Smalt: medium blue
Titian: brownish orange
Verdigris: yellowish green
Vermilion (or Vermillion): bright red-orange
Read related posts: Why is it Called the Golden Gate Bridge?
How Rock Bands Got Their Names
For further reading: When Blue Meant Yellow: How Colors Got Their Names by Jeanne Heifetz, Henry Holt & Co. (1994)
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