blue flu

noun

: a sick-out staged by police officers

Examples of blue flu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Holt gets to use some profanity that NBC won’t air before realizing something: The blue flu didn’t raise the crime rate. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

from the color of a police uniform

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of blue flu was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near blue flu

blue flower

blue flu

blue-footed booby

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Blue flu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue%20flu. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Legal Definition

blue flu

noun
: an organized absence from work by police officers on the pretext of sickness that is staged for the purpose of protest
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