blue-collar

Linda is going to kill me because I'm forever going on about this but ... I don't think
white-collar, blue-collar are adjectives but rather Noun+Noun compounds.
I don't think one can say, "that job is too white-collar for me" (unless as language play) or "my job is more blue-collar than yours" (again except as play).

I agree with Jonathan that calling these things "adj" misleads users. What terminology should be employed, though? Attributive compound?

I guess Jonathan meant to say 'Adj+Noun' compounds, in the case of "blue-collar" and "white-collar". (Unless he meant that "blue-collar worker" is a Noun+Noun compound, which may well be true also.)

Max

After briefly burying my head in a pillow and screaming - sorry, reflex reaction whenever Jonathan mentions noun / noun compounds I decided that the only possible solution to all of this is to listen to our elders and betters on this matter and accept their decision. Basically, whatever term Jonathan and Max come up with between them I, for one, am more than happy to accept.

A Sussex colleague points out that "blue-collar", "white-collar" are now also used predicatively:

Btw, white-collar is losing its attributive-only status:

He is male, and he is white collar and educated.
Or maybe he should wear them outside of his pants and wear them to work. If he is blue collar, he might get beat up. If he is white collar, he might get promoted.
(lots more via google)

Max