Blue ribbon Blue ribbon The blue ribbon is a symbol of high quality. The association comes from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners and, prior to that from Cordon Bleu, which referred to the blue ribbon worn by a particular order of knights. The spelling "blue riband" is still encountered in most English-speaking countries, but in the United States, the term was altered to "blue ribbon", and ribbons of this color came to be awarded for first place in certain athletic or other competitive endeavours (such as county and state fairs).
Blue-plate special Parks" (2001), "The Red, White and Blue Plate Special". Mystery writer Abigail Padgett's second novel about amateur sleuth Blue McCarron is titled "The Last Blue Plate Special" (2001); no meals here, the blue plates are part of the decor at a clinic where patients are dying mysteriously. Road food experts Jane and Michael Stern titled their guidebook "Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs: The Heart And Soul of America's Great Roadside Restaurants" (2001). Blue-plate special Blue-plate special or blue plate special is a term used in the United States and Canada by restaurants, especially diners and cafes. It refers