Greenlit or giving something the green light, barely scrapes into this theme since you would think that it’s not so hard to figure out – after all the traffic-lighting system has spread even further than the road traffic indicators with which we are all only too familiar. The reason it has made it into the blog is that it is not road, but railway signals that originated the coloured signalling.
Today greenlit has a special resonance with the movie industry since movies have so many hurdles to jump before they are greenlit to go ahead but green-lighting is used for all sorts of projects in many industries.
The coloured lights, at least the red and green, moved over to road traffic lights fairly smoothly, although it took a while for universal agreement on the Amber warning phase. (See here)
Get Someone’s Goat…
Unlike greenlit, the origins of this phrase are not at all obvious! One might imagine from the current usage – To Make Someone Angry- that this refers to the natural consequence of the theft of a goat however the true origin is more bizarre – although it still involves the theft of hapless goats. Goats are said to have a calming effect on horses and race horses are notoriously high-strung, so owners might put a companionable goat in the stall of a racehorse on the night before a race. Naturally, if a rival stole the goat and the horse was consequentially over-frisky, the owner would be very angry…
Get There with the Olives…
Sometimes, olives are served at the end of a Spanish meal and so someone who “get’s there with the olives” is arriving very late!
Lastly – the links to Cant “G” languages courtesy of Wikipedia…
- Gacería, from Spain
- Gayle language, from South African gay culture
- Gender transposition
- Germanía, from Spain
- Grypsera, from Poland
- Gumuțeasca, from Romania
- Gyaru-moji, from Japan
I didn’t know that about rail semaphore signals. I’ll pay closer attention next time I take the train.
Sadly now, they are mostly replaced by lights only – just like road traffic-lights…
Thanks for visiting
More great derivations – thanks!
My A to Z Blogs
DB McNicol – Small Delights, Simple Pleasures, and Significant Memories
My Snap Memories – My Life in Black & White
Thanks for visiting…
I always wondered what it meant to get one’s goat until I read its meaning. But knowing its origins gives a clear understanding about the phrase.
I hadn’t heard about the other two. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting derivations, thanks for posting. Visiting from the A-Z . All the best for the challenge.
Thanks for visiting and I have and will visit you too…
The railway semaphore reminds me of a book I once read by Peter Lovesey — Another One Goes Tonight. I’m always impressed when an author can add a bit of demystification to the plot of a mystery. In this instance, it was interesting to learn about the British railway system.
I’ve never heard the term “get there with olives.” I will have to remember it though, and use it the next time I’m running late!
I hadn’t heard that olive expression but that’s what happens when you start poking around…
I had never even heard of getting there with the olives, neither had I heard of the horse-racing origins of getting someone’s goat. It ought to be stealing someone’s goat, then, right? And I didn’t know that giving something the great light came from railway signals, though that makes eminent sense. You’ve got me thinking about all the sayings that come from the railways and from gambling. . .
Loving your theme!
Thanks Josna and I love yours too – every year I meet some old friends and make some new ones and I am pleased to have met you this year…
I never heard the phrase “gets there with the olives.” I guess for me it would have to be “gets there with dessert,” since olives are more likely to be at the beginning of the meal than the end.
Good Golden Galloping Guide
Indeed – most Mediterranean countries I have been to, I would say the olives have been at the beginning of the meal – perhaps they order things differently in Spain…