Word.ws English Dictionary

don't buy green bananas

don't buy green bananas proverb: one should not make long-term plans, as one may not live or survive long enough to accomplish them.

Proverb

don't buy green bananas

  1. (humorous) One should not make long-term plans, as one may not live or survive long enough to accomplish them.
    • I don't buy green bananas anymore. I only buy one yellow banana, for I may not be around tomorrow.2010, Norman Molesko, Retiring and Senior Living...Experiencing the Second Half of Life
    • "I'm so old, I don't buy green bananas!" "Don't say that, Granma! You're not so old..."2010, Susan Lynn Meyer, Skating with the Statue of Liberty

Origin of don't buy green bananas

Refers to the time that it takes green bananas to ripen and become edible.

Questions about don't buy green bananas

What does don't buy green bananas mean?
Don't buy green bananas means one should not make long-term plans, as one may not live or survive long enough to accomplish them.
What part of speech is don't buy green bananas?
Don't buy green bananas is a proverb.

Words near don't buy green bananas in the dictionary

  1. don't ask, don't tell, don't harass, don't pursue
  2. don't be a fool, wrap your tool
  3. don't be a stranger
  4. don't be that guy
  5. don't bite the newbie
  6. don't buy green bananas
  7. don't call me sir, I work for a living
  8. don't call us, we'll call you
  9. don't cha
  10. don't change a winning team
  11. don't count your chickens

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: don't buy green bananas (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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