Englishgreen around the gills
Meaning: Sick to one's stomach; nauseated.
Example: “After the boat ride, he looked a little green around the gills.”
Origin: Two older pieces combine here: green has stood for a sickly, nauseated complexion in English since around 1300, and "gills" was already informal slang for the loose flesh around the jaw and lower face by the 1600s — borrowed from the fish part by simple visual analogy, the way a person's neck and jawline flare out below the ears the way gills flare below a fish's head. "Green about the gills" for looking ill is on record from 1628, with the now-more-common "around" variant settling in by around 1800. Its likeliest home was shipboard, describing the pale, queasy look of a seasick passenger — a face that has quite literally gone the wrong color.
More English idioms
- head over heels in love Very much in love; uncontrollably in love.
- heart to heart Serious and intimate.
- hit the nail on the head To come to the right conclusion.
- not hold one's breath To not wait for something to happen because it probably won't happen soon, if at all.
- hold one's tongue To refrain from speaking.
- huff and puff To breathe heavily; or to bluster and make empty threats.
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