green man—
1. a symbol of a walking figure illuminated green on some pedestrian crossings:
- When the green man shows and the traffic has stopped, you can cross.
2. (dated) an inexperienced man or sailor:
- I am afraid we would have killed a green man, traveling and working as we did.
3. commissionaires working outside Harrods (the fashionable London retail store):
- Two traditionally dressed Harrod’s “Green Men” greeted guests at the entrance.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase little green men—
1. mysterious extra-terrestrial beings of science fiction:
- Her story of being kidnapped by little green men was sheer absurdity.
2. pulsars (stars detected by pulsating radio signals only):
- An entirely novel kind of star was referred to by astronomers as LGM (Little Green Men).
greensman—(Movie Production) a member of the crew who decorates the ground with grass, flowers, etc. on an environment used for filming:
- Greensmen with water trucks began work a month before the shooting crew.