The green man
If I say "the green man", what do you think of? As I was standing by a traffic light, waiting for it to change, I was struck by how varied "the green man" can be. Not only is it a symbol for traffic, but the words also bring to mind Tom Bombadil , the Green Giant, aliens, leprechauns, and these are off the top of my head. There is something special about this connection that does not happen with its counterpart, the red man. When you look at the light, do you call it "the red man", even? I always hear parents say 'look, it's red. We must wait for the green man.'. That's it, just red. I truly have to push myself to bring up connections. The red man could be the devil, perhaps. Or, of course, it used to be a term to mention First Nations in North America. I'm surprised it's never caught on to identify northern-European tourists on the beaches around the Mediterranean, though it could be rather fitting. But no, there really is no imm...