green fingers
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
| PIE word |
|---|
| *pénkʷe |
From green (adjective) + fingers,[1] possibly popularized by the British gardener and radio and television broadcaster Cecil Henry Middleton (1886–1945).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɡɹiːn ˈfɪŋɡəz/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɡɹin ˈfɪŋɡəɹz/
Audio (AU) (file) - Hyphenation: green fing‧ers
Noun[edit]
green fingers pl (plural only)
- (idiomatic, informal) A seemingly natural gardening ability.
- Synonym: (US) green thumb
- 2008 August 29, David Adam, “Environment: Johnson unveils secret weapon in war on climate change – the roof garden”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-13:
- To some they are a rural escape in the centre of the city, to others they are a chance to test their green fingers and design skills. Now London mayor Boris Johnson has found a new use for urban roof gardens – as a key weapon on the front line against global warming.
Usage notes[edit]
The term is chiefly used in the form to have green fingers.
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
- green thumb (US)
Translations[edit]
seemingly natural gardening ability — see green thumb
References[edit]
- ^ “green fingers, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2023; “green fingers, plural n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Categories:
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *pénkʷe
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰreh₁-
- English endocentric compounds
- English compound terms
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
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- English pluralia tantum
- English idioms
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- English adjective-noun compound nouns
- en:Horticulture