MARY BRASWELL: The color black is often associated with Halloween but there’s more!

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected]. Follow @ABH_MBraswell on Twitter.

As Halloween approaches, here is a look back at a color associated with the big day … black.

COLOR PSYCHOLOGY

— The color black relates to the hidden, the secretive and the unknown. As a result, black is often associated with mystery.

— Black implies self-control and discipline, independence and a strong will.

— Black absorbs negative energy. Many people believe it is useful to carry something black to protect a traveler from harm when traveling.

— Wearing black shows power and authority.

— Black is often seen as a color of sophistication. Such is the case at a “black-tie event” and the “little black dress.”

— People who like the color black are typically conservative, conventional and serious-minded.

— Excessive admiration of the color black, including in one’s wardrobe, may be a sign of self-denial and not letting joy into one’s life.

— Black has long been associated with grief and allows a person to hide from his or her true feelings.

— A person who dislikes the color black may have a fear of the dark.

— Preferring any colors other than black indicate a light-hearted nature and an easy-going personality.

SAYINGS

— Black out … to darken by turning off the lights or to lose consciousness.

— Black-tie event … a formal event where male guests typically wear black bowties with tuxedos or dinner jackets.

— Black sheep … used to describe a person who is the “odd one out. ”Within a family, the phrase refers to a member who is a disgrace or embarrassment to the rest of the family members.

— Pot calling the kettle black ... used when a person hypocritically criticizes or accuses another person of something which he or she is just as guilty as the person being accused.

— Pitch black … describes a place that is very, very dark.

— Black and white ... to judge everything either one way or the other, good or bad.

— Put something down in black and white … to write or have something written down on paper for confirmation.

— Blacklist someone … to write someone’s name down on a list for breaking a rule, real or perceived, banning the person from participating in an activity, club, etc.

— Black market … a term used for places where goods are bought and sold illegally for a profit.

— Black as a skillet … used to describe something that is very dirty.

— Blackmail … to extort or take money from someone by using their secrets against them and threatening to reveal those secrets to others.

— Black and blue … a description of someone who is badly bruised.

— In the black … out of debt, profitable, successful, especially in reference to a business.

— Black gold … crude oil.

— Take it black … usually refers to coffee with no sugar or cream.

— Black cats … believed to be the familiar spirits of witches or of bringing bad luck.

— Black hole … a region where gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping.

— Black mark … something a person has done that affects his or her reputation in a bad way.

— Little black book … a small book filled with the names and phone numbers, can have a male or female owner. These books sometimes contain additional confidential information.

— Paint a black picture … to describe or portray someone, something, or some event as being extremely bad, hopeless, and/or unpleasant.

— Black magic … referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes.

MOVIE TITLES

“The Spy in Black” (1939) … A German submarine is sent to the Orkney Isles in 1917 to sink the British fleet.

“Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954) … A strange prehistoric beast lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. A group of scientists try to capture the animal and bring it back to civilization for study.

“The Black Sheep” (1956) … Sir Joel Cadman, a mad scientist, kidnaps his victims and cuts open their brains in an effort to discover a means to cure his wife’s brain tumor.

“Black Sabbath” (1963) ... A trio of atmospheric horror tales about a woman terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from an escaped prisoner from her past; a Russian count in the early 1800s who stumbles upon a family in the countryside trying to destroy a particularly vicious line of vampires, and a 1900-era nurse who makes a fateful decision while preparing the corpse of one of her patients — an elderly medium who died during a seance.

“Black Moon Rising” (1986) … A professional thief is hired by the FBI to steal a data tape from a company under investigation.

“Black Roses” (1988) … Demons hypnotize the general public by posing as a rock and roll band.

”The Blackout” (1997) … A debauched Hollywood movie actor tries to piece together one wild night in Miami years earlier which remains a drug-induced blur, and soon finds out that some questions about his past are best left unanswered.

“Black Hawk Down” (2001) … Elite U.S. soldiers, 123 of them, drop into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis.

“Black Cadillac” (2003) … Three young men become terrorized in a high-speed car chase with a mysterious pursuant.

QUIK QUIZ answer: d) Humble Pie