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blue ribbon

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blue ribbon

Where it comes from

Perhaps a calque of Middle French cordon bleu (“blue ribbon”), worn by knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit, or after Blue Riband, a sailing award.

noun blue ribbons

  1. The highest honor or prize awarded in some competitions and contests. Mom's strawberry jam won the blue ribbon at the Holland County Fair three years running.
  2. The emblem of the Order of the Garter.
  3. The badge adopted by a teetotal society.
  4. Internet A badge worn or displayed to advocate freedom from online censorship.

adjective blue-ribbon

  1. idiomatic, not comparable Highly superior in quality, style, substance, prestige, etc. The governor selected a cadre of blue ribbon social scientists to serve on her poverty task force.
  2. Australia, informal, not comparable Pertaining to the Liberal Party, its supporters and regions.

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Cite this
MLA

"blue ribbon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/blue%20ribbon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

blue ribbon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/blue%20ribbon

Chicago

"blue ribbon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/blue%20ribbon.

BibTeX
@misc{blue_ribbon_2026,
  title = {blue ribbon},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/blue%20ribbon},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}