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Meaning & use

rub of the green

phrase·AdvancedBritishinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌrʌb əv ðə ˈɡriːn/
US/ˌrʌb əv ðə ˈɡriːn/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiomBritishsport

    The chance events, good or bad, that influence the result of a game or situation and are beyond anyone's control.

    Grammar: Used with the: get the rub of the green; no plural.

    Patterns

    • get the rub of the green
    • the rub of the green went to someone

    We didn't get the rub of the green today, and every deflection went against us.

    The home side had the rub of the green with two lucky bounces.

    Sometimes in cricket you just don't get the rub of the green.

  2. phraseidiomfigurative

    Everyday good or bad fortune that unfairly helps one person or side more than another.

    Grammar: Used figuratively outside sport: a business that got the rub of the green.

    Patterns

    • have the rub of the green
    • not get the rub of the green

    She admits she had the rub of the green when her first novel was picked up.

    The company hasn't had the rub of the green with recent weather.

    He felt he never got the rub of the green in negotiations.

Common combinations

get the rub of the green
The visitors got the rub of the green in the second half.
the rub of the green went against
The rub of the green went against the home side.
have the rub of the green
Neither team had the rub of the green all day.
deserve the rub of the green
After so many near misses, they deserved the rub of the green.

Synonyms and how they differ

luck
Luck is the plain, general word, while rub of the green sounds like sports commentary.
fortune
Fortune is more formal and can mean wealth or fate, so it is less specific.
breaks
Breaks is an American-sounding sports word for chance events, as in get the breaks.
fluke
A fluke is one surprising lucky result, not a general run of chance.

Opposites

skill

Word family

rub noun
an obstacle or unlucky difficulty
green noun
the smooth area around a golf hole
luck noun
success or failure by chance

Commonly confused: rub of the green or there's the rub?

rub of the green vs there's the rub

There's the rub means here lies the difficulty, which is a different phrase from rub of the green.

Practice

Our striker hit the post twice, but we just didn't get the ___ and lost 1-0.

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