salad days

American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a period of youthful inexperience.

   a man who never lost the immature attitudes of his salad days.

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salad days British  

plural noun

1. a period of youth and inexperience

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salad days Cultural  

1. A time of youth and inexperience; often, a better and more innocent time. The expression comes from William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, where Cleopatra says her early infatuation with Julius Caesar was foolish: “My salad days, when I was green in judgment.” (“Green” refers both to inexperience and to the color of a salad.)

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salad days Idioms  

1. The time of youth, innocence, and inexperience, as in Back in our salad days we went anywhere at night, never thinking about whether it was safe or not. This expression, alluding to the greenness of inexperience, was probably invented by Shakespeare in Antony and Cleopatra (1:5), when Cleopatra, now enamored of Antony, speaks of her early admiration for Julius Caesar as foolish: “My salad days, when I was green in judgment, cold in blood.”

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Etymology

Origin of salad days

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

They were the first spoken word poet to tour in rock clubs, often selling out shows, and footage of Gibson performing captures their salad days.

From Salon

They spoke to De Los about their salad days, their new album, “Jungle Cruise” and how young Latinos can navigate this time of upheaval in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

These are salad days for the likes of Joseph Uscinski, who spends his time peering down rabbit holes and poking in the dark spaces where weird and woolly things grow.

From Los Angeles Times

I don’t have a sailboat anymore, but in my salad days I’d go sailing at least twice a week.

From Los Angeles Times

Do you feel you have more control over your career now than back in your salad days?

From Salon