green light
46
2.3
- noun
- /ɡriːn laɪt/
:
luz verde
- Blinken gives the green light to send fighter jets to Ukraine.
- give the green light
- receive a green light
So the feds have been given a green light by SCOTUS to cut it down.
- So the feds have been given a green light by SCOTUS to cut it down.
- So to her, it's like, well, I'm giving him the green light by talking to him.
- So if I'm feeling that way, then you're good, it's a green light.
- Why spend the time when someone says I'm in, that's a green light.
- You think that if you let him chase you, that this will give you the green light to accept being with him.
- In that case, Kenny, I give you the green light.
- Who here is familiar with what green light refers to?
- Now the men who are genuinely just perverts have a green light to come on in.
- So I knew what yes, green light felt like and red light.
- Yep, missions go time to go green light.
- Plain and simple, we just need a a green light.
- They're looking for a flashing green light.
Examples
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So the tribal leadership gave the green light to the development in early spring 2003.
Academic text (2007) -
In 1950, many Americans interpreted Acheson's speech as giving a "green light" to North Korea's attack.
Academic text (1998) -
OK we are getting a green light on the other side.
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All units, you have a green light.
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Do I have the green light?
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We got the green light.
-
You have a green light.
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We have been given the green light by university researchers.
Academic text (1996) -
We're now in the process of preparing our application to get the green light to begin clinical trials.
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The committee finally gave the project a green light to proceed after reviewing the proposal.
Synonyms
31
3.4
Official permission to start something
Antonyms
How Permissive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'official permission' is directly derivable from 'green' (the colour used to signal 'go') plus 'light' (a signal), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the traffic-signal meaning and its extension to permission. This usage is also cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'luz verde', French 'feu vert'), supporting clear compositionality and immediate comprehensibility.
Etymology
The noun green light comes from the green light on traffic signals that tells drivers to 'go'. That's why people use green light to mean 'official permission' to start or continue.