Idioms

green light, the

green light

1. verb To permit someone or something to proceed. Likened to the green light of a traffic signal. Do you think the production company will green light our film? Hey, did the boss green light any of the things you're doing? I thought he wanted to take a conservative approach. There's no way environmental agencies will green light this controversial new oil pipeline.
2. noun Permission to proceed with some action or task. We're just waiting to get the green light from our managers before we release the latest software update. Once I get the green light, I'll transfer your funds into the new account. Don't worry, I got the green light from Legal to call that guy back.
See also: green, light
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

green light, the

Permission to go ahead, as in The chief gave us the green light for starting this project. This term originated in the late 1800s for the signal used by railroads to indicate that a train could proceed. It was transferred to more general use in the first half of the 1900s.
See also: green
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
For one to use the system, a button should be pressed and when it shows a green light, the person is free to cross the road.
Sonko's new digital pedestrian crossing to tame rogue motorists
On the back of a continued recovery in fundamentals at home and abroad, Taiwan's economy has been showing signs of stable growth as an index gauging the economic climate flashed a green light, the National Development Council (NDC) said Monday.
While the sub-indexes for exports and stock price changes fell, the two still flashed a green light, the NDC said, adding that the sub-indexes for the money supply flashed a yellow-blue light.
Taiwan economy shows signs of stable growth in July
When hit with green light, the arm stretches back out, causing the ion channel to close.
Robo receptor: researchers engineer a brain ion channel to take its cues from light
In emitting green light, the material achieves a brightness half-life of 100,000 hours (a threshold luminance of 1,000cd/m2), 150% longer.
Idemitsu Kosan Develops Blue and Green Organic EL Material that Boasts Longer Life
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