(British, idiomatic) Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.
(British, idiomatic) Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.
Amber light means: Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
amber light means: Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
Amber light means: Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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(UK, idiomatic) A driver of a road vehicle who accelerates when the traffic lights change from green to amber (instead of stopping, as required by law), gambling that no vehicle will cross his or her path; a driver who starts off when the traffic lights show red and amber together, but not yet green.
(US, slang, humorous) An ambulance.
(idiomatic) Approval, or permission to proceed.
(British) An amber-coloured traffic light indicating that vehicles should stop unless it is unsafe to do so, approximately equivalent to the yellow light in the US.
(US, dated) A yellow light.