the wearing of the green
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An Irish patriotic and revolutionary song, dating from 1798. Green (cp. EMERALD ISLE) was the emblematic colour adopted by Irish Nationalists.
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 “the wearing of the green” mean?
An Irish patriotic and revolutionary song, dating from 1798. Green (cp. EMERALD ISLE) was the emblematic colour adopted by Irish Nationalists.
Is “the wearing of the green” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.