green with envy
Meaning: Extremely jealous.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He was green with envy when he saw her new bike.”
Category: Nature
Origin: Greenish skin was once linked to sickness and to bile, and Shakespeare called jealousy "the green-eyed monster" in Othello. The phrase is common from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: grün vor Neid — literally: green from envy
More idioms — Nature
- put down roots — To settle somewhere permanently.
- hit rock bottom — To reach the lowest possible point.
- lead someone up the garden path — To deceive someone, keeping them hopeful along the way.
- let the grass grow under one's feet — To waste time and miss opportunities.
- go through fire and water — To face any danger or hardship for someone or something.
- the eye of the storm — The center of a crisis; sometimes a brief calm in the middle of it.
More English idioms
- do nothing by halves — To commit fully to whatever one does.
- keep someone on a short leash — To keep someone under close control.
- not for all the tea in China — Under no circumstances.
- shut someone up — To force someone to stop talking.
- a pack of lies — A story that is entirely untrue.
- rein someone in — To bring someone under control.