Green Linnets
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The 39th Foot, so called from the colour of their facings. Now the- Dorsetshire, and the facings are white.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Green Linnets” mean?
The 39th Foot, so called from the colour of their facings. Now the- Dorsetshire, and the facings are white.
Is “Green Linnets” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.