little green man en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌlɪtəl ˌɡɹiːn ˈmæn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˌlɪtəl ˌɡɹin ˈmæn/ (General-American)
- /ˌlɘtɘl ˌɡɹin ˈmɛn/ (New-Zealand)
Meanings
-
A conventional fictional alien from outer space in the form of a small humanoid with green skin.
An engram is NOT [...] One of the little green men Americans claim have crashed in flying saucers.
1950 December 6, The Sydney Morning Herald, page 3, column 5:
- (humorous) One of the supposed extraterrestrial occupants of a UFO.
-
A type of diminutive sprite or fairy that wears green clothing.
How funny to see the little green men, and the fairies in gossamer and dewdrops.
1883 March 17, The Brisbane Courier, page 3, column 3:"Sure...the Little Green Men can't be as spiteful as some people say!"
1932 March 5, The Daily Mercury, page 14, column 2:In an uncautions moment, once upon a time, I had informed Sweetheart that on the branches of that tree in years long past, when I used to trudge past it on foot, there used to be seen little green men, moping and mowing. So every time we pass that way Sweetheart requires the story with out variations. Not a single fairy must be added or subtracted.
1896 January 25, The Australasian, page 41, column 3:It was the pantomime of "Jack and the Bean Stalk," and as the Hallicots entered a large number of little green men were hammering on anvils in a gloomy and spacious cave.
1866 May 5, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, page 4, column 1:Still the Green Isle is supposed to specialise in fairies - the little green men and fairy sprites have in spired many poems and stories of that distressful country[.]
1921 January 23, The Truth, page 8, column 4:
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(euphemistic, plural-normally) A soldier (wearing green military fatigues) without identification in order to create an air of uncertainty around their allegiance.
The “little green men”—faces covered, wearing unmarked olive uniforms, speaking Russian and using Russian weapons—have played a significant role in both the occupation of Crimea and the civil war in eastern Ukraine.¹⁹⁶
2015, Shane R. Reeves, David Wallace, “The Combatant Status of the “Little Green Men” and Other Participants in the Ukraine Conflict”, in International Law Studies, US Naval War College, volume 91, number 361, Stockton Center for the Study of International Law, page 393:The little green men were clearly professional soldiers by their bearing, carried Russian weapons, and wore Russian combat fatigues, but they had no identifying insignia. Vladimir Putin originally denied they were Russian soldiers; that April, he confirmed they were.
2019 March 18, Steven Pifer, Five years after Crimea’s illegal annexation, the issue is no closer to resolution, The Center for International Security and Cooperation:These infamous little green men appeared during the decisive seizures or buildings and facilities, only to disappear when associated militias and local troops arrived to consolidate the gains. In this way they provided a measure of deniability—however superficial or implausible—for Moscow.⁴⁰
2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014, Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, page 43:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| little green men | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
extraterrestrial (extraterrestrial)
Translations (22)
hy կանաչ մարդուկ (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · sh mali zeleni (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · uk зеле́ний чолові́чок (soldier lacking identification) · cmn 小綠人 /小绿人 (soldier lacking identification) · uk зеле́ний чолові́чок (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · pl zielony ludzik (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · da små grønne mænd (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · ro omuleț verde (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · sv små gröna män (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · de grünes Männchen (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · pl zielony ludzik (soldier lacking identification) · ru зелёный челове́чек (soldier lacking identification) · el πράσινο ανθρωπάκι (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · ru зелёный челове́чек (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · fi pieni vihreä mies (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · de kleines grünes Männchen (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · fr petit homme vert (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · pl ufoludek (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · uk зеле́на люди́нка (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · es hombrecillo verde (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien) · de grünes Männchen (soldier lacking identification) · cmn 小綠人 /小绿人 (humorous: space alien, Martian — see also alien)