adjective
yellow
Lacking courage.
The bully calls him yellow for refusing the dare.
Etymology
Yellow acquired a figurative slang meaning of cowardly. The precise route from the color to the insult is uncertain.
More examples
- He insisted he was cautious, not yellow.
- The old movie's villain sneered that his rival was yellow.
- She rejected the accusation that the retreat was yellow.
Forms
yellow
Similar words
- cowardly
- The direct term for lacking courage.
- timid
- Suggests fearfulness, often with less moral judgment.