Green Thumbとは 意味・読み方・使い方

発音

名詞

green thumb (複数形 green thumbs)

1. (US, idiomatic) A natural skill for gardening.

   Synonym: green fingers

   • 1987, Lyall Watson, The dreams of dragons: riddles of natural history:

     Everyone knows someone who has a "green thumb," who seems to be able to get plants to grow well just by being around, by talking or even playing music […]

   • 2003, Barbara Damrosch, The Garden Primer:

     […] they leave gardening to those who presumably have lots of time to read and better yet, have a "green thumb."

   • 2006, Des Kennedy, The Passionate Gardener: Adventures of an Ardent Green Thumb:

     Oh, I'll never have a green thumb, no matter how long I stay at it. Nothing ever seems to work for me. Everything I plant dies.

2. (US) A person with this skill.

   I should ask the green thumb next door what she recommends for my droopy daffodils.

使用する際の注意点

• Chiefly used in the form “have a green thumb”.
• In UK English the corresponding expression is to describe someone as “having green fingers” or “being green-fingered”.

派生した語

• → Canadian French: pouce vert (calque)
• → German: grüner Daumen (calque)

参考

• brown thumb