maroon

Everyday

1. Maroon is a dark brownish-red colour, like the colour of some school uniforms. tree →
2. To maroon someone means to leave them alone in a place they cannot escape from, like a desert island; if you are marooned, you are stuck. tree →
3. The Maroons were people in Jamaica and other places who escaped slavery and built free communities in the mountains. tree →
4. (UK) A maroon is a loud firework rocket used as a signal, once used to call lifeboat crews. tree →
5. (Australia) The Maroons is the nickname of the Queensland rugby league team. tree →

In the lessons

In art lessons it is a colour name; in pirate stories sailors are marooned on islands; in history lessons the Maroons resisted slavery. Phrases: «maroon jumper», «marooned on an island», «marooned by the floods».

Examples

• Our school jumpers are maroon. tree →
• The pirates marooned the captain on a tiny island. tree →
• We were marooned at home because of the snow. tree →
• Maroon is darker than red. tree →
• The Maroons of Jamaica fought for their freedom. tree →
• Robinson Crusoe was marooned for many years. tree →
• (Australia) The Maroons won the State of Origin match. tree →
• The flood marooned the village for a week. tree →

Note

As a colour it does not change: «maroon socks». Marooned is often passive: «They were marooned». In cartoons «maroon» is sometimes said as a joke for «moron», which is an insult.