little green man

Noun

little green man (plural little green men)

1. A conventional fictional alien from outer space in the form of a small humanoid with green skin.
   • An engram is NOT [...] One of the little green men Americans claim have crashed in flying saucers.1950 December 6, The Sydney Morning Herald, page 3, column 5
2. (humorous) One of the supposed extraterrestrial occupants of a UFO.

   Synonyms:

   extraterrestrial

3. A type of diminutive sprite or fairy that wears green clothing.
   • It was the pantomime of "Jack and the Bean Stalk," and as the Hallicots entered a large number of little green men were hammering on anvils in a gloomy and spacious cave.1866 May 5, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, page 4, column 1
   • How funny to see the little green men, and the fairies in gossamer and dewdrops.1883 March 17, The Brisbane Courier, page 3, column 3
4. (euphemistic, plural-normally) A soldier (wearing green military fatigues) without identification in order to create an air of uncertainty around their allegiance.
   • These infamous little green men appeared during the decisive seizures or buildings and facilities, only to disappear when associated militias and local troops arrived to consolidate the gains. In this way they provided a measure of deniability—however superficial or implausible—for Moscow.⁴⁰2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014, Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, page 43
   • The “little green men”—faces covered, wearing unmarked olive uniforms, speaking Russian and using Russian weapons—have played a significant role in both the occupation of Crimea and the civil war in eastern Ukraine.¹⁹⁶2015, Shane R. Reeves, David Wallace, “The Combatant Status of the “Little Green Men” and Other Participants in the Ukraine Conflict”, in International Law Studies, US Naval War College, volume 91...