Idiom
Paint the town red
To paint the town red is to go out and celebrate in a lively, noisy way, usually at night.
How people use it
People use it about nights out with friends, birthdays, graduations or other celebrations, often moving from one restaurant, club or party to the next. It is informal and cheerful, and it can hint at a little too much fun. It works in any tense (we painted the town red after the finals). Nothing actually gets painted, and in modern use the phrase does not suggest damage or crime.
Examples
- After the last exam, the whole class went out to paint the town red.
- For her fortieth birthday, Ana and her friends painted the town red until two in the morning.
- We are not painting the town red tonight; I just want pizza and an early night.
Where it comes from
The phrase first shows up in American newspapers in the 1880s. A popular story links it to a rowdy English nobleman, the Marquess of Waterford, who reportedly daubed buildings in the town of Melton Mowbray with red paint during a night out in 1837. The gap of about fifty years between that event and the first printed uses makes the link doubtful. Others think red simply suggested fire, noise and excitement, but no one knows for sure.
Check yourself
1. What are friends doing if they plan to paint the town red?
Answer: Going out to celebrate in a lively way. Paint the town red means a lively night out. Nothing gets painted.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: When the team won the championship, the fans painted the town red all weekend.. Fans celebrating a win fits the idiom. The workers sentence is literal, and staying home is the opposite.
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