More Colour Idioms - The Colour Green

One common expression with the colour green is 'to be green with envy'. This is what we say when someone is really jealous and envious of somebody else.

Ex. When Sally saw my new car, she was green with envy.
Ex. John is going to Brazil next week and everyone at work is green with envy!

A similar expression to the one above is 'the green-eyed monster'.

Ex. Do you think his criticisms of John are justified or is it just a case of the green-eyed monster?

The colour green is not only connected to negative ideas it can also have positive connotations. For example in the expression 'to have green-fingers'. Somebody who has green fingers is someone who is good at looking after plants and helping them grow.


Ex. Jake's garden is beautiful, he really does have green-fingers.
Ex. I definitely don't have green-fingers, I have killed every plant I've owned!

Do you know any other expressions with the colour green? Or do you know the origins of the above expressions? Perhaps there are some interesting expressions in your own language regarding the colour green. If so, we would love to hear from you!