Special Expressions with Colors: Special Expressions with Colors (#3)

Dennis Oliver

#3: brown and green

Besides referring to certain shades or hues that everyone
knows, colors are also used in many idiomatic expressions.

Here are a few common expressions using the colors
brown and green:

expression		meaning
brown-bag lunch		a lunch meeting for which people bring their own food (often in a brown paper bag)

brownie		(1) with a capital B: a member of a division of the Girl Scouts for young girls; (2) a small, square cake made of rich chocolate

brown-out		a period of time when electrical power is operating erratically and not at full strength

have a brown thumb		used to describe someone who has no skill in growing plants


green (adjective)		inexperienced; naive

greenback		U.S. dollar; U.S. currency (paper money) in general

green belt		a narrow strip of land with parks and trees around parts of a city

greenhouse		a heated building (usually made of glass) which is used for growing plants

the green-eyed monster		envy ("His / her eyes were green with envy" is also used to to describe a very envious person.)

have a green thumb		used to describe someone who has great skill in growing plants