off color—
1. (coll.) feeling unwell or in low spirits:
- Maybe you just felt off-color for a few days after the sunbathing.
2. (of a joke, etc.) slightly indecent or distasteful:
- That joke you told was off color and embarrassed her.
3. not of the best kind or quality:
- He had mighty little English, and my native was still off color.
without color—
1. devoid of color; colorless:
- Plants that grow in darkness are pale and without color.
2. impartial; unbiased:
- His reporting, although critical, was fair and without color.
Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase lend color to something—(also: give color to something ) give plausibility to an account, etc.:
- He draws heavily on quotations from various sources to lend color to his narrative.