'Green-Eyed Monsters' and Other Uses of 'Green'

 

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning¹ English.

Colors are often connected to the feelings we have. Many expressions in English link colors and emotions. Take for example, the color green.

Green can be a symbol for many things. In other words, it can represent many different ideas, qualities, or objects in our lives.

One of these is money. For example, a greenback is a common expression for a dollar bill...because it is green.

Here is another example: green represents environmental causes. So, if a company goes green, they probably have changed to cleaner technology to produce their products.

Green is also a sign of a beginner. If someone is green to a job or activity, they are new to it. So, for example, if I am green at cooking, I haven't been cooking for very long. So, I'm probably not very good at it. Just ask my family.

Green can also mean other things -- bad things.

Historians² say long ago the Greeks connected a green color on the face with sickness. They might have thought the color came from an overproduction of bile in the body.

Now, we say that if someone looks "green around the gills," they look sick or they could be sick at any moment. Gills of a fish are the organs it uses to breathe instead of lungs. In this expression, why we say "gills" is not exactly clear. But maybe it is used as a funny replacement³ for the word "mouth."

For example, if your friend drinks too much alcohol⁴ at a party or eats too many sweet foods and does not feel well, you might say he looks green around the gills. People who get seasick⁵ might look green around the gills when they are sailing on rough waters in a boat.

The Greeks also linked green to jealousy⁷. Today, we use green to describe people who are very jealous⁶ or envious⁸. One of the expressions is very simple: We say they are "green with envy."

Let's say I really want something that you have – like a beautiful apartment. You could say that I am green with envy about your apartment.

Envy usually has two parts. You feel unhappy over another person's luck, but you also want to have the same luck yourself.

It does not feel good to be green with envy. In fact, feeling envious or jealous is unpleasant. But these feelings are natural. We all probably have felt these emotions at some point in our lives.

But some people get so jealous of others that it begins to affect their lives. In that case we can say they are "consumed⁹ with envy" or "eaten up by jealousy." We can also say "the green-eyed monster" has a hold of them.

The green-eyed monster is jealously¹⁰ imagined as a beast that attacks people. It takes over their minds and tries to destroy their lives.

Now, let's hear two friends use some of these expressions.

So, have you talked to Randy recently?

Yes, I ran into him at a party last weekend and couldn't believe how different he seemed.

Let me guess...ALL he talked about was the job he didn't get and the woman who did get it.

Yes! How did you know?

Oh, I've been hearing that story for months now. He claims this woman, Jessica, stole his idea and then got the job instead of him.

Yep, that's the same story he told me...for 40 minutes! The green-eyed monster has really got a hold of him and will not let go. It's kind of sad.

You're telling me! I told him that he really needs to get over it. How did you handle it at the party?

I told him I had to use the bathroom and just never came back.

Good move. Until he's no longer green with envy, it's probably better to avoid him.

If someone happens to speak English a little better than you, don't turn green with envy. Just listen to more programs at VOA Learning English. That will help you a lot more than giving in to the green-eyed monster.

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!

Words in This Story

bile –n. a yellow or green fluid¹¹ made in the liver¹² that helps the body digest fats

jealous –adj. an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting something that someone else has; anger or worry that someone else will take what you have

envious (envy) –adj. feeling or showing a desire to have something that another person has

consumed –adj. to take all of a person's attention, energy, or time

monster –n. a strange or horrible imaginary¹³ creature; something that cannot be controlled and that causes many problems

Yep –informal response : yes

handle –v to deal with or act on

bathroom –n. a room where you can wash up, usually has a sink and toilet

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

5 seasick   

adj.晕船的

参考例句：

• When I get seasick,I throw up my food.我一晕船就呕吐。
• He got seasick during the voyage.在航行中他晕船。

6 jealous   

adj.妒忌的，猜忌的；精心守护的

参考例句：

• He was jealous when he discovered that she loved someone else.当他发现她爱别人的时候，他吃醋了。
• An honorable Chinese citizen should be jealous of his own rights.一名光荣的中国公民应当珍惜自己的公民权利。

7 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

8 envious   

adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的

参考例句：

• I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。

9 consumed   

v.消耗( consume的过去式和过去分词 )；烧毁；大吃；使充满（强烈的感情）

参考例句：

• Arguing about details consumed many hours of the committee's valuable time. 争论细节问题耗费了委员会数小时宝贵的时间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fire had consumed half the forest away before it was stopped. 大火在熄灭之前毁掉了树林的一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 jealously   

ad.嫉妒的，猜疑的

参考例句：

• A number of men still jealously guard their rights. 很多男人仍在谨慎地维护着他们特权。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）
• His jealously guarded secret was soon common property. 他小心翼翼保守的秘密很快就成为众所皆知之事。

11 fluid   

n.流体，液体；adj.流体的，流动的

参考例句：

• Fluid includes both gasses and liquids.流体包括气体和液体。
• The weather is fluid in summer.夏天天气多变。

12 liver   

n.肝；肝脏

参考例句：

• He has a weak liver.他的肝脏不好。
• The largest organ in the body is the liver.人体最大的器官是肝脏。

13 imaginary   

adj.想象中的，假想的，虚构的，幻想的；虚数的

参考例句：

• All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
• The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。