Paint the town red
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Go out and celebrate in a conspicuous, lively, or boisterous way, often involving drinking.
Origin
The expression is American and is now documented in an Omaha newspaper from 1874; it became common during the 1880s, when many examples specifically concerned drunken revelry. Nobody has established why red was chosen, though it is an obvious color for excitement and display. The story that the Marquis of Waterford literally painted parts of Melton Mowbray red in 1837 is probably a later association: the phrase appears decades later and first in the United States. Tales about Roman soldiers painting conquered towns with blood have no evidential basis.
Research Sources
Variants
- Paint the whole town red
Usage Examples
- After the final exam, the students went out to paint the town red.
- We have booked dinner and a jazz club, so tonight we are painting the town red.
- The team painted the town red after winning its first championship.