Idiom
Green with envy
If you are green with envy, you are very jealous because someone has something you want.
How people use it
People use it with be, turn or make: Her vacation photos made us all green with envy. It is informal and often playful, used for friendly jealousy about trips, gadgets, gardens, talents or good luck. It is stronger than just envious but rarely truly hostile. Strictly, envy is wanting what someone else has, while jealousy can also mean fear of losing what you have, but in everyday speech people use the two loosely, and this idiom covers the everyday sense.
Examples
- When Sam showed us his new mountain bike, we were all green with envy.
- Grace's tomato harvest made the whole neighborhood green with envy.
- I was green with envy when my cousin got front-row seats to the concert.
Where it comes from
Green has been linked with jealousy and envy for a long time. Ancient Greek writers connected a pale, greenish complexion with strong feelings like fear and jealousy. Shakespeare called jealousy the green-eyed monster in Othello and mentioned green-eyed jealousy in The Merchant of Venice. The exact phrase green with envy became common in the 1800s.
Check yourself
1. If you are green with envy, how do you feel?
Answer: Very jealous. Green with envy means very jealous of what someone else has.
2. Which Shakespeare play calls jealousy the green-eyed monster?
Answer: Othello. In Othello, Iago warns against jealousy and calls it the green-eyed monster.
Similar idioms
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