And lo, if you want an answer, ask a librarian...

Our solo librarian list was discussing British terminology (namely the difference between 'roundabouts' and 'traffic gyratory systems') so I chimed in finally with my question on green goddesses. (At some point I mentioned on this blog that I had found a reference to "red engines and green goddesses". Well, this article does a very nice job of explaining what a green goddess is, and how it compares to the modern fire engine. Nice to know that my normally Angloscient brain was failing me partly because not only have I not lived in Britain, they're mostly before my time as well. Enjoy!