having a healthy reddish color, especially in the face, or as a British mild curse word meaning 'bloody.'
From Old English 'rudig' (reddish), from 'read' (red). The color sense comes from healthy complexions from outdoor work. The curse-word sense developed as a softer alternative to 'bloody.'
British people invented 'ruddy' as a way to say 'bloody' without actually saying 'bloody'—it's a euphemism for a curse word, which means the safer version became famous specifically because it was naughty. Now most people forget it's a color word at all.
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