[lca2018-chat] BlueHackers BoF - scheduling

[Arjen Lentz]

Hi Josh, Shyam, all

> Hi Shyam,
> I can see why you may have been confused if you haven't heard of "being
> blue" before. "Feeling blue" is a (likely western?) term for feeling sad
> or depressed[0]. This, correct me if I'm wrong Arjen, is where the name
> comes from for BlueHackers and also the Australian BeyondBlue crisis
> support and suicide prevention organisation.

Indeed, that's where it comes from.
I don't know the exact etymology for "feeling blue", however it's used in a broad range of English literature at least from the early-mid 1800s. There was some claim for a naval (sea-faring) origin, but that's unsubstantiated.


And just to be clear, "feeling blue" does NOT mean "gloomy, downtrodden, and down on your luck"
Its meaning according to reputable English dictionaries (such as Oxford's) is:
  (of a person or mood) melancholy, sad, or depressed.

Depression, and being down on one's luck, are quite different matters.


Regards,
Arjen.