Samstag, 16. Juni 2012

Wort der Woche: grün

In the German language green is the colour of politics, inexperience and jealousy. A green-fingered gardener is said to have eine grüne Hand and if you have grüne Augen you are grünäugig or jealous.

A person who lacks experience might be grün hinter den Ohren or wet behind the ears as we would have it. A Grünschnabel is a young whippersnapper, a delightful term in both languages.

Green places are much loved parts of the German landscape and the outside of cities is often surrounded by a grüner Gürtel,  a green belt of farmland, parks and open country where development is not allowed. In the middle of a motorway the Grünstreifen separates traffic flowing in opposite directions. The traditional village green of England, however, is known in German as the Dorfanger.

Other expressions:
                                           
die Grünen
the Greens/Green Party
die Ampel steht auf Grün
the lights are green
der Bauplatz im Grünen
greenfield site
der Grünfink
greenfinch
grünes Licht geben
to give the green light/go-ahead
er hat mich grün und blau geschlagen
he beat me black and blue
ich bin ihr nicht grün
I don’t care much for her
die Grünanlage
green space, park
der Grünspecht
woodpecker

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