Green as a seven of leaves

Welcome to SoundCzech. In last week’s edition you learnt all about green lights, green brains and Green Thursdays and today we’ll take a look at another phrase using the word green – “zelený”.

The word is often used to describe the colour of a person’s face – when they’re not feeling all too well. Today’s song is sung by the 1980s teen heartthrob duo Petr Kotvald and Stanislav Hložek. It tells the story of a young man who woke up feeling down but his life miraculously turns for the better after he meets a beautiful girl on a tram. He sings that he woke up in the morning “green as a seven of leaves” – which is a playing card, typical in the Central European region, featuring seven green leaves.

The phrase goes “zelený jak sedma”, green as a seven – meaning seven of clubs or seven of leaves to be precise. The colour green implies not only sickness but also envy. “Zelený závistí” is green with envy. Now back to our song: our young man is feeling low but all changes after he meets a freckled girl on the tram.

Looking at the girl the amorous boy concludes that he is “na větvi”. The phrase “jsem z tebe na větvi”– literally I’m up on a tree branch because of you – means I’m perplexed. In this particular case the feeling is pleasant and positive. And gradually we witness the singer’s complexion turning from green to red...

“Jsem červený jak rak”– I’m red as a crayfish. It is a common Czech phrase although hardly anyone these days has ever seen a cooked crayfish which turns red in boiling water just like lobsters and the like. So our guy is head over heels in love and sure the feelings are mutual – judging from the phrase “nejsem na ocet”– I’m not on the shelf. “Zůstat na ocet”– literally to be left for vinegar means to remain without prospects of marriage.

So the recap: “zelený jak sedma”– that’s when you’re feeling unwell; if you are perplexed you are “na větvi” and if something makes you blush you can turn “červený jak rak”. Finally, if you find a partner to marry you are not longer “na ocet”. Thanks for listening today and na shledanou.