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For example, if your friend drinks too much alcohol 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 seasick might look green around the gills when they are sailing on rough waters in a boat.
The Greeks also linked green to jealousy. Today, we use green to describe people who are very jealous or envious. 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 consumed 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 jealously 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!
Until next time...I'm Anna Matteo.
Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.