IdiomBody & Senses
German
Germangrün vor Neid
Meaning: Consumed with jealousy or envious feeling.
Literally: Green from envy
Example: “Als sie das neue Fahrrad sah, war sie grün vor Neid.” — When she saw the new bike, she was green with envy.
English equivalent: Green with envy
Equivalents in other languages
English: green with envy
Origin: Green is the color usually given to a sickly, bilious face, and the phrase pictures someone made ill by envy. German shares the color with English "green with envy" and "green-eyed monster" (Shakespeare's Othello), and also says sich grün und blau ärgern (to be green and blue with anger).
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