Rub of the green

Origin of: Rub of the green

Rub of the green

Rub of the green is simply a synonym for luck, either good or bad. It is a very old expression, deriving from the game of lawn bowls from the late 16th century. 'Rub' is a very old English word that means a problem, impediment or difficulty, and dates from the early 16th century. It is, of course, mentioned in Shakespeare's Hamlet, in perhaps one of Shakespeare's most famous passages, the 'to be or not to be' soliloquy that Hamlet makes in Act III, Scene I. “To die, to sleep; to sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub." When playing lawn bowls in the 16th century, sometimes the lawn or green could be a rub i.e. a problem, which could go either way, for or against a player. These days, the expression is frequently used in sporting contexts, including golf, but golf and golf greens have nothing to do with the origin of the expression.