Hi guys, it’s me again, Studycat. I love to study and one of the things I enjoy studying the most is English idioms. So, I have looked into a few good ones, and one I particularly like is ‘green with envy’!
Green with Envy Explained
To be green with envy means to be jealous of someone or something. I have never seen a green cat but I do know some jealous cats. The origin of this idiom is unclear. I find that a lot with idioms. People often don’t know where they started.
However, a clever English human called Mr Shakespeare is known to have made the connection between the color green and jealousy. He wrote a lot of books and plays, and he writes about the color green in lots of them
In his play Othello, one character, Iago, warns another man, Othello;
“Beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. The meat it feeds on.”
This is inspired by a green-eyed cat who plays with its prey. On a personal note, I never do this.
In another play, Antony and Cleopatra, a man called Menas says,
“is troubled with the green sickness.”
The green sickness is envy.
Lastly, in a play called ;The Merchant of Venice’, a character says:
“How all the other passions fleet to air, As doubtful thoughts, and rash-embraced despair, And shuddering fear, and green-eyed jealousy!”
Now that you know what it means don’t boast to your friends too much because they might turn green with envy 🙂
Thanks for reading! I’m Studycat, and you can find out more about me at studycat.com