молодо-зелено

• МОЛОДО-ЗЕЛЕНО coll, often condes or disapprov

[sent; Invar]

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⇒ s.o. is naive, inexperienced in sth., lacking in seriousness because of his youth (said condescendingly when a person's behavior or words make his youth or inexperience obvious; also said to excuse youth's desire for fun):

- (when) you're young, you're green;

- you're (he's etc) too young to know any better;

- you're <he's etc> young and green.

     ♦ Девушка молча вышла. Капитан [милиции] кивнул в её сторону и сказал: "Обижаются за профилактику, а потом сами прибегают и жалуются: "Изнасиловали! Ограбили!" "... - Молодо-зелено", - сказал я (Искандер 6). The girl went out without saying a word. The [police] captain nodded in her direction and remarked: "They're offended when we take precautionary measures, and yet later on they themselves come running in to complain: 'He raped me! He robbed me!'"... "I suppose they're too young to know any better," I said (6a).

     ♦ [author's usage] Профессор снисходительно улыбнулся, давая понять, что студент ещё молод и зелен, и ему следует кое-что объяснить (Войнович 1). The professor smiled condescendingly, as if to say that the student was still young and green, and required enlightening (1a).