greenbackn.
/ˈɡriːnbak/, U.S. /ˈɡrinˌbæk/ 1. Any of various fishes with greenish backs (or backbones); esp. †(a) the garfish or garpike, Belone belone (obsolete); †(b) the saithe or coalfish, Pollachius virens (obsolete); (c) U.S. a trout of western North America; spec. (more fully greenback cut-throat) a local form of the cut-throat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii; (d) New Zealand the flounder Rhombosolea tapirina, of the Indo-Pacific.
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the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > order Atheriniformes > [noun] > member of family Belonidae (gar-fish)
horn-fishOE
hornkeckc1425
garfishc1440
horn-stocka1485
green-bone1525
hornbeak1565
thorn-beak1570
horn-back1598
needlefish1601
spit-fish1601
sea-needle1603
ganefish1611
snacot-fish1611
greenbacka1682
bill-fisha1757
gar1767
sea-pike1769
saury1771
gar-pike1776
sea-snipea1832
mackerel guide1835
long-nose1836
gore-fish1839
gorebill1862
mackerel-scout1880
Long Tom1881
snipe-eel1882
the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > superorder Paracanthopterygii > order Gadiformes (cod) > [noun] > family Gadidae > pollachius virens (coal-fish)
lob-keelingc1325
coalfish1337
lob1357
pollack1427
gull-fish1583
saithe1632
colmey1654
billard1661
rawlin pollack1673
sey-pollack1698
blackmouth1703
billet1769
greenback1772
green cod1776
glossan1780
stenlock179.
harbin1806
coalsey1829
rock salmon1831
rauning pollack1835
green pollack1859
coaly1915
the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > order Pleuronectiformes (flat-fish) > [noun] > family Pleuronectidae > miscellaneous types of
sandnecker1835
town-dab1836
rock sole1850
sand-sucker1862
Greenland halibut1872
whiff1873
greenback1947
the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > order Salmoniformes (salmon or trout) > family Salmonidae (salmon) > [noun] > member of genus Oncorhyncus (chinook)
red fish1763
spring salmon1776
gorbuscha1784
keta1824
quinnat1829
Chinook salmon1851
coho1869
king salmon1871
silver trout1873
kokanee1875
salmon1884
sockeye1888
chisel-mouth1889
pink salmon1899
spring1900
tyee1902
pink1905
blackmouth1906
chum1908
greenback cut-throat1989
a1682 Sir T. Browne Acct. Fishes Norfolk in Wks. (1835) IV. 329 The acus major, called by some a garfish, and greenback.., remarkable for its quadrangular figure, and verdigrease-green backbone.
1684 R. Sibbald Scotl. Illustr. Appendix 37 (list) Piscis... Conger-eel. Brandling. Cuddin. Greenback. Breim. Retche.
1700 C. Leigh Nat. Hist. Lancs. vii. 134 The Green-back and Mullets are very common, they afford an excellent Nourishment and a delicate Tast.
1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Warrington In the r[iver] are caught sturgeons, green-backs, [etc.].
1772 W. Cullen Lect. Materia Medica 141 After this comes again the Gadus, of which six are mentioned..; Molva, Ling, Virens, in Scotland, Greenback; Callarias, in Scotland, the Codling.
1880–4 F. Day Fishes Great Brit. & Ireland II. 148 Belone vulgaris..green-bone or green-back.
1912 East London Daily Disp. (S. Afr.) 26 Sept. 4 The fish..was a Saury pike, known here as a ‘Greenback’ and in some places as the Skipper or Skipjack.
1947 A. W. B. Powell Native Animals N.Z. 66 The third common species [of flounder], the ‘Green-back’, R. tapirina..frequents both shallow and deep water either in harbours or off the open coast.
1989 J. Gierach Fly fishing Small Streams 22 The pretty little greenback cutthroat, once thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in the fifties.
2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 14 Oct. i. 26/1 State and federal biologists..are regrouping in their efforts to restore the rare greenback cutthroat trout to Colorado waters.
2. Chiefly U.S. Any of various birds with greenish backs; esp. (a) the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica; †(b) any hummingbird of the South American genus Boissonneaua (formerly Panoplites) (now called coronet) (obsolete); (c) the green-backed goldfinch, which is a lesser goldfinch of the western subspecies Carduelis psaltria hesperophilus. Now rare.
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the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > family Charadriidae > genus Pluvialis > pluvialis dominica (American golden plover)
green plover1550
whistling plover1668
golden plover1766
frost bird1803
greenback1843
prairie plover1851
prairie snipe1851
prairie pigeon1874
kolea1888
squealer1888
1843 B. F. Thompson Hist. Long Island (ed. 2) II. 265 Green back, Frost Bird, Marmoratus, Pluvialis.
1869 Galaxy Mag. Aug. 170 The finest songster among the Sylvia..is the blackthroated greenback.
1892 E. Whymper Trav. amongst Great Andes of Equator I. xi. 215 (table) Scientific Name..Panoplites jardinii... Common Name..‘Green-backs’.
1917 Birds of Amer. I. 257 Golden Plover, Charadrius dominicus dominicus... Other Names.—American Golden Plover;..Field Plover; Green-back.
1928 F. A. Bailey Birds New Mexico 705 In California the Green-back has apparently decreased in numbers with the cultivation of the land.
1955 Bull. Mass. Audubon Soc. 39 444 American Golden Plover... Green-back, Green-head (Mass.).
3. U.S. colloquial. A monetary note issued by the United States during and immediately after the Civil War, and not backed by gold or silver (now historical); (in later use more generally) a dollar, a dollar bill; (in plural) money.So called with reference to the devices printed in green ink on the reverse of the original monetary notes.
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society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > foreign banknotes > [noun] > U.S.
long green1837
wild cat1861
greenback1862
postage currency1862
postage-stamp currency1862
postal currency1862
blueback1863
fractional note1863
greyback1863
yellowback1863
goldback1865
Sherman1892
1862 J. Wren Diary 9 Apr. in Captain James Wren's Civil War Diary (1991) 25 Ready for tomorrow for the paymaster when he makes his appearance to hand over green backs, which is much needed.
1870 H. W. Longfellow in S. Longfellow Life H. W. Longfellow (1891) III. 143 Never having known the difference between a bank-note and a greenback.
1916 L. Armstrong & J. O. Denny Financial Calif. 28/2 While New York speculated in gold, San Francisco speculated in greenbacks.
1966 New Yorker 22 Oct. 164 We observe him on his way to Mexico with a suitcase full of green-backs.
2008 Wall St. Jrnl. 18 Oct. w3/1 Asian central banks would buy up greenbacks by the boxcarful.
4. slang (chiefly U.S. in later use). A frog. Now rare.Sometimes used spec. for a particular kind of green frog, as a bullfrog.
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the world > animals > amphibians > order Anura or Salienta (frogs and toads) > [noun] > frog
froshc1000
frouda1200
toada1300
paddockc1300
paddoc1480
hipfrog1611
croaker1651
Dutch nightingale1769
froggy?1800
fen-nightingalea1825
yellowbellyc1825
greenback1876
1876 Guardian (Philadelphia) No. 8 247/1 Frogs were the original greenbacks, and since they first drew breath they have been inflationists.
1920 L. Rhead Fisherman's Lures & Game-fish Food x. 117 We..grudgingly trudge off to the swamp in order to capture the pretty little greenbacks in their native lair.
1963 Aquarium Aug. 11/1 A frog tadpole of the large greenback variety, will take the place of five goldfish.
5. A book with a green cover. Cf. yellowback n. 3.In later use frequently with reference to paperback crime novels formerly issued in green covers by Penguin Books.
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society > communication > book > kind of book > book of specific form or colour > [noun] > with specific type of back or cover
blue book1633
green book1798
paperback1843
paper cover1843
yellowback1859
flat-back1888
greenback1893
paperbound1933
softback1951
hardback1953
hardcover1953
pocketbook1953
softcover1953
trade paperback1960
1893 J. S. Farmer Slang III. 209/2 Greenback..(University), one of Todhunter's series of mathematical text-books. (Because bound in green cloth.)
1953 R. Fuller Second Curtain iv. 61 The quart bottle of beer, the Penguin greenback, incongruous modernities.
1989 Times (Nexis) 21 Feb. Flopping into their buttoned leather chairs under the shelves of Penguin greenbacks, a pipe-clenching bust of Sherlock Holmes and other sacred relics.
6. A disease of tomatoes in which the calyx end of the fruit fails to ripen, caused by a deficiency of certain minerals (esp. potassium) or by excessive exposure to sunlight during ripening.
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the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > type of disease > deficiency diseases > associated with crop or food plants
greenback1926
grey leaf1928
marsh spot1931
tea yellows1931
speckled yellows1938
grey speck1947
1926 Ann. Appl. Biol. 13 338 Exposure of the fruits to excessive sunlight causes a type of blotchiness known as ‘green back’ if the nitrogen and potash supply is inadequate.
1961 Amateur Gardening 21 Oct. (Suppl.) 25/1 Green~back, a common tomato disorder in which the fruits do not ripen completely but remain green near the stalk.
1990 Pract. Gardening Nov. 64/1 Greenback can be alleviated to some extent by choosing a resistant variety like ‘Piranto’.
2001 Org. Gardening Jan. 17/2 A disorder called ‘greenback’ can occur on tomatoes where the fruit remains green near the stalk.
7. Surfing slang. A large wave before it breaks; = greeny n. 4.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > [noun] > types or parts of wave
pounder1927
dumper1933
take-off1935
greeny1940
beach break1954
beacher1956
big kahuna1959
greenback1959
close out1962
curl1962
shore break1962
shoulder1962
soup1962
tube1962
wall1962
face1963
peak1963
pipeline1963
set1963
reef break1965
surfable wave1965
point break1966
green room1968
slide1968
barrel1975
left-hander1980
A-frame1992
1959 J. Bloomfield Know-how in Surf iii. 28 When the surfer has passed the point where the waves are breaking, and is among the waves which are known as ‘greenbacks’, he may either dive through them or float over them.
1963 S. Szabados in J. Pollard Austral. Surfrider ii. 20/2 Just out a little further are the ‘green-backs’, the unbroken waves.
1965 H. A. Klein Surfing iii. 58 Australian surfers use the picturesque word ‘greenbacks’ for a swell as it peaks higher and higher but has not yet begun to spill ‘white water’ down its front face.
1970 Stud. in Eng. (Univ. Cape Town) 1 27 A wave can be a mere green back, or greenie, but more often it is a roller, grinder, pounder or dumper.
2001 Surfin'ary 115/2 Greenback,..2. A swell that peaks higher and higher but has not yet begun to spill white water down its face.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive (in sense 3).
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1862 Evangelist (N.Y.) 4 Dec. 8/5 Mr. Chase will ask authority to issue $250,000,000 more of the ‘greenback’ currency.
1887 Times 27 Sept. 4/2 There was sent from a bank to the Treasury a greenback note, which was a perfect imitation of a Government issue.
1968 Washington Post 7 Apr. f8/5 As one sage gentleman here who had his house burned down..reminded me, ‘Your greenback dollars burn, my buried gold was unharmed.’
1995 R. Lowenstein Buffett iv. 63 Buffett worked off the master bedroom in a sitting area, which his wife decorated with greenback wallpaper.
b. attributive. U.S. Politics (now historical). Of or relating to the Greenback party.
ΚΠ
1875 N.Y. Times 12 Mar. 7/4 To the President of the Greenback Convention: Thousands of overtaxed New-Yorkers, sick of bondholders, dry rot, and hard-pan deletion, greet you.
1921 F. L. Paxson Recent Hist. U.S. iv. 42 In the elections of 1878 the aggregate of discontented votes for Greenback candidates in the several States ran beyond a million.
2001 R. M. Goldman Free Ballot & Fair Count iv. 110 Guthridge noted that because of the Greenback campaign the Democratic majority in Texas was reduced by eighty thousand votes.
C2.
Greenback party n. (also with lower-case initial) U.S. Politics (now historical) a party which opposed the shift back to gold-based currency and advocated government control of the monetary system, with greenbacks (sense 3) as the sole currency.The party later merged with another and changed its name to the Greenback-Labor party.
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > American politics > [noun] > other parties
Liberty Party1705
republican1782
republican1799
prohibition party1855
Greenback party1875
Christian Right1947
religious right1973
1863 Mountain Democrat (Placerville, Calif.) 12 Sept. 2/3 The greenback Custom House party took the opposite ground.]
1875 N.Y. Times 12 Mar. 7/4 (heading) The ‘Greenback’ party. A national convention of fifty-five delegates to form a new party on the basis of greenbacks.
1884 Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 26 July Hon. Charles Jenkins, twice candidate of the Greenback party in Ohio for Governor.
1946 National Geographic Mag. July 3/1 In that year, however, the Democrat and Greenback parties joined to form the Fusionists and succeeded in getting some candidates into office.
1963 Southern Econ. Jrnl. 30 158/1 Even when the latter [party] combined with the Greenback party, its showing was so bad as to permanently destroy it.
2000 M. E. Curtin Black Prisoners iv. 72 The Greenback party believed that monetary inflation would alleviate the problems of working people.
Derivatives
ˈGreenbacker n. (also with lower-case initial) U.S. Politics (now historical) a member of the Greenback party.
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1868 Davenport (Iowa) Daily Gaz. 11 Mar. 2/1 George H. Pendleton, the distinguished greenbacker of Ohio, will be the next Democratic candidate for the Presidency.
1882 L. Playfair in Macmillan's Mag. 45 336 The greenbackers advocate an internal, inconvertible, non-exportable currency.
1924 Amer. Mercury Dec. 386/1 This divided his Congress badly, and threw fury into the Grangers, Greenbackers and populists.
1963 Agric. Hist. 37 50/2 Later in the decade he became a Greenbacker and in the 1880's became involved in the Farmer's Alliance.
2003 J. D. Ivy Saloon in Valley ii. 37 Texas Democrats were generally able to fend off challenges from Republicans and political dissenters like the Greenbackers of the 1870s.
ˈGreenbackism n. (also with lower-case initial) U.S. Politics (now historical) the principles of the Greenback party; advocacy of these principles.
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1877 Oshkosh (Wisconsin) Daily Northwestern 10 Nov. The contest in Wisconsin was waged upon the one issue of ‘specie resumption and better times’ as against ‘Greenbackism and continued uncertainty.’
1892 N. Amer. Rev. 154 745 Greenbackism was strongly tinctured with the sentiment of Nationalism.
1931 Amer. Mercury Feb. 176/2 Lydia took an active part in temperance, greenbackism, anti-slavery, spiritualism, anti-vaccination and Swedenborgianism.
1965 Jrnl. Southern Hist. 31 113 Greenbackism remained an important issue in American political and economic life for many years after specie resumption was successfully accomplished.
2000 R. Iton Solidarity Blues ii. 27 As Greenbackism became popular, trade union activity, especially against the backdrop of depression, decreased.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† greenbackv.
Obsolete. rare.
transitive. To bind (a book) in a green cover. Cf. greenback n. 5.
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society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > types of binding [verb (transitive)]
stilt1824
greenback1828
antique1896
1828 R. Southey Let. 14 Feb. in Select. from Lett. (1856) IV. 99 Bailey's next job will be to green-back the ‘Parnaso Italiano’, fifty-six vols.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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n.a1682
v.1828