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HTML Colours
Bogus HTML Colour Names and Their Random Colours
URL: http://www.nationalfinder.com/html/colrbugs.htm
Compiled by Roger Harris © 1998
html@nationalfinder.com
Elsewhere on this web-site I have placed a file containing
a list of standard colour names and their associated colours.
Out of curiosity I compiled this HTML file of various bogus
colour names to see if they would be recognised by the Netscape
Navigator v3.01 and Microsoft Internet Explorer v3.02 browsers.
Netscape and Microsoft browsers both probably parse the HTML script
string which contains the colour name. If the word is recognised
as a legal word then the corresponding RGB bytes are copied into
certain memory locations. If the word is not recognised, it being
either illegal or misspelled, then those memory locations are neither
overwritten nor initialised and the consequent colour derived from
those locations will depend upon whatever the locations happened by
chance to contain at the time. It appears that both browsers contain
the same fascinating programming feature.
You may easily inspect this file's script by clicking first on
'View' and then on 'Source.'
It seems that when a Netscape or Microsoft browser displays a
named colour, then that colour might be correct by design,
correct by coincidence or completely wrong.
I consider that black, ie. no colour (#000000), should be displayed
when an illegal or misspelled colour word is encountered.
The three tables below contain words referring to bicycles, fruit
and vegetables and a selection of real colour names taken from
'Crossword Lists' by Anne Stibbs (ISBN: 0-7475-0345-7, (C)1989).
Very few of the words are legal HTML colour words. Why are so
many colours displayed?
Bicycle Words and random colours
| bell | |
chain | |
frame | |
| fixedwheel | |
freewheel | |
gear | |
| hub | |
lamp | |
pedal | |
| saddle | |
spoke | |
wheel | |
Fruit and Vegetable Words and random colours
| apple | |
apricot | |
artichoke | |
| asparagus | |
aubergine | |
avocado | |
| banana | |
beetroot | |
blackberry | |
| blueberry | |
cabbage | |
canteloupe | |
| carob | |
carrot | |
cauliflower | |
| celery | |
chestnut | |
clementine | |
| coconut | |
courgette | |
cranberry | |
| cucumber | |
currant | |
eggplant | |
| elderberry | |
fig | |
frenchbean | |
| gherkin | |
gooseberry | |
grape | |
| greengage | |
guava | |
kidneybean | |
| lemon | |
lettuce | |
loganberry | |
| lychee | |
mandarin | |
mangetout | |
| mango | |
melon | |
mulberry | |
| mushroom | |
nectarine | |
onion | |
| orange | |
parsnip | |
pea | |
| peach | |
pear | |
persimmon | |
| pineapple | |
pistachio | |
plum | |
| potato | |
pumpkin | |
quince | |
| radish | |
raspberry | |
redcurrant | |
| rhubarb | |
runnerbean | |
soyabean | |
| spinach | |
strawberry | |
tangerine | |
| tomato | |
turnip | |
zucchini | |
Miscellaneous Colour Names and random colours
Several of the names listed in this table are legal colour names.
| alabaster | |
amber | |
amethyst | |
| applegreen | |
applered | |
apricot | |
| aquamarine | |
argent | |
asphalt | |
| aubergine | |
auburn | |
aureate | |
| azure | |
azureblue | |
beige | |
| biscuit | |
blaze | |
blonde | |
| blood | |
bloodred | |
bloodstone | |
| bloom | |
blue | |
blush | |
| bottlegreen | |
brass | |
bronze | |
| brown | |
buff | |
burnet | |
| camel | |
carmine | |
carnation | |
| carrot | |
cerise | |
cerulean | |
| chamois | |
cherry | |
cinnamon | |
| citrine | |
citron | |
claret | |
| claude | |
cocoa | |
copper | |
| coral | |
cream | |
crimson | |
| crow | |
crystal | |
damask | |
| daylight | |
delft | |
diamond | |
| dun | |
dusk | |
emerald | |
| ermine | |
fallow | |
flame | |
| flavous | |
flax | |
flesh | |
| fuchsia | |
fulvid | |
garnet | |
| glaucous | |
gloom | |
gold | |
| golden | |
grass | |
grassgreen | |
| gray | |
green | |
grey | |
| gridelin | |
gules | |
hazel | |
| henna | |
indigo | |
ivory | |
| jade | |
jasper | |
jet | |
| khaki | |
lake | |
lark | |
| lavender | |
lemon | |
lilac | |
| lily | |
livid | |
lobster | |
| lurid | |
magenta | |
mahogany | |
| maize | |
maroon | |
mauve | |
| milk | |
mouse | |
murrey | |
| mustard | |
navy | |
noir | |
| ochre | |
olive | |
olivegreen | |
| onyx | |
opal | |
orange | |
| orchid | |
pea | |
peach | |
| peagreen | |
pearl | |
penumbra | |
| peridot | |
phosphor | |
pink | |
| pistachio | |
pitch | |
plum | |
| prune | |
puce | |
purple | |
| purpure | |
quince | |
raspberry | |
| red | |
redness | |
resin | |
| rose | |
rosy | |
rouge | |
| rubescent | |
rubicund | |
ruby | |
| ruddy | |
russet | |
saffron | |
| sallow | |
sand | |
sandy | |
| sapphire | |
sardonyx | |
scarlet | |
| sea | |
seablue | |
seagreen | |
| sepia | |
shrimp | |
silver | |
| sky | |
skyblue | |
snow | |
| snowwhite | |
soot | |
sorrel | |
| star | |
stone | |
straw | |
| sulfur | |
sulphur | |
sun | |
| sunbeam | |
tan | |
taupe | |
| terracotta | |
titian | |
topaz | |
| tortoise | |
turquoise | |
turquoiseblu | |
| turquoisegre | |
ultramarine | |
umber | |
| umbra | |
umbrage | |
verdant | |
| verdantique | |
verdigris | |
verdure | |
| vermilion | |
violet | |
virent | |
| virescent | |
viridescence | |
viridian | |
| whitewash | |
yellowochre | |
zircon | |
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