Verdant Green
Preserved but no longer current.
An excessively "green" or unsophisticated young man. The character was epitomized in the book of this name (I860) by "Cuthbert Bede" (Rev. Edward Bradley). Verdant's adventures at Oxford, whither he goes as a very green young undergraduate, the victim of endless practical jokes and impostures, make an entertaining and enlight- ening commentary on life at the University in the 1850s.
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 “Verdant Green” mean?
An excessively "green" or unsophisticated young man. The character was epitomized in the book of this name (I860) by "Cuthbert Bede" (Rev. Edward Bradley). Verdant's adventures at Oxford, whither he goes as a very green young undergraduate, the victim of endless practical jokes and impostures, make an entertaining and enlight- ening commentary on life at the University in the 1850s.
Is “Verdant Green” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.