"Seeing (or showing) green mice" (in English means: "have your guts for garters") is one of the most common Italian expressions. This saying is used to indicate a big problem or a difficult moment to overcome.
Curious is the birth of this expression.
In 1936, a special unit of the Regia Areonautica (Air Wing 205) chose to adopt as its coat of arms on the planes three green mice. This was because the team was the first to fly on three-engined planes.
The pilots of the Air Wing 205 demonstrated their skills in Italy and abroad by winning numerous competitions. The coat of arms was thus adopted by the whole flock of which they were part that soon became involved in the bombing of the war.
In a short time the expression "Seeing the green mice" spread first in Rome and then throughout Italy, assuming a nefarious meaning for enemies: In fact, for soldiers and civilians to see airplanes flying with the symbol of the three-mice was synonymous with an imminent bombing and in most cases a crushing defeat.
The spread of the saying was greatly sponsored and disseminated by many members of the fascist regime to become an expression of the current language.
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