Does the “ash” in “ash blond” come from the tree or the products of combustion?  I had always thought the latter, but then it occurred to me that the former was more reasonable.

How so?  I’d’ve thought it was bound to be connected to the pale grey of some ash.

S’weird to use “ash” to denote a colour given that ashes can be black or white or any shade of grey. Ho hum.

Then again, eggplant (the colour) always means poiple, not white.

Anyone here old enough to have owned a pencil or crayon with “flesh colour” written on it?

It was a pinkey-beige, so probably not politically correct now.

OP Tipping - 12 June 2010 03:10 AM

How so?  I’d’ve thought it was bound to be connected to the pale grey of some ash.

S’weird to use “ash” to denote a colour given that ashes can be black or white or any shade of grey. Ho hum.

Which is partly why I thought it might be the tree, in that ash, the timber, is a pale blond colour.

OED lists the phrase under ash, n.2, the powdery residue left after combustion.

BTW Is the tree also named after the powdery residue left after combustion?

Nope, from two distinct Old English words.

The tree is from the OE æsc. The residue of combustion is from axe or asce.

Ta.

Interesting one, bayard.

Thanks, everyone.  I’m left wondering why “ash” then, given the range of colours ash can be, and not something else that is white, however I do appreciate there is seldom any logic to these things.

Wood ashes can be used as a bleaching agent.

Myridon - 13 June 2010 01:15 PM

Wood ashes can be used as a bleaching agent.

So “ash blonde” might have originally arisen in the same way as “peroxide blonde”.

bayard - 16 June 2010 12:48 PM

So “ash blonde” might have originally arisen in the same way as “peroxide blonde”.

I always assumed it was meant to indicate hair that was a mixture of pale blonde and “grey” (ie white) hairs, or at least hair that was a blonde colour with much less of a yellow component than usual, closer to the colour of paper ash. Am I wrong?

I meant to say just no, but since the server was unable to receive my submission at this time, here it is again.  No.