Ebbie: Agree re 'yellow' ~~ I was brought up to Red Yellow Green; but Amber is the official designation in our Highway Code. I still think the traffic-light sequence the real origin of the phrase this thread dealt with, & the case of Amber Hagerman was probably linked to it by headline &c association, leading to the sort of backformed folk etymology I have already suggested. After all, that wasn't till 1996; surely the usage is older than that?

~Michael~