green about the gills
English
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Adjective
edit- (idiomatic) Ill or unwell, especially as indicated by one's appearance.
- 1899, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 6, in A Duet:
- "You're looking rather green about the gills, old chap."
"I feel a little chippy to-day."
"That's the worst of these cheap champagnes."
- 2007 February 25, Christopher Elliott, “Strategies to Make More Passengers Maiden Voyagers”, in New York Times, retrieved 15 Sept 2013:
- Although he boarded his ship with wristbands and pills intended to ward off any possible queasiness, he did not turn green about the gills.