Idiom
Tickled pink
If you are tickled pink, you are very pleased or delighted about something.
How people use it
People use it for happy surprises and good news (Grandma was tickled pink by the handmade card). It often comes with be or look, and it can be followed by by, with or a to-verb (we were tickled pink to hear the news). It is informal, warm and a little old-fashioned, which gives it a gentle, playful tone. A similar phrase is tickled to death, which also means very pleased.
Examples
- Ana was tickled pink when her students threw her a surprise party.
- My dad was tickled pink that the neighbors loved his tomatoes.
- The little boy looked tickled pink as he blew out the candles on his cake.
Where it comes from
Tickling makes people laugh, and laughing hard can turn a face pink. 'Tickled' has meant pleased or amused in English for centuries. The color was added in American English in the early 1900s, giving the phrase a cheerful, visual twist.
Check yourself
1. What does it mean to be tickled pink?
Answer: To be very pleased. Tickled pink means delighted. The pink comes from the image of laughing, not from embarrassment.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Omar was tickled pink when his old friend showed up at the wedding.. A happy surprise fits the idiom. A canceled flight is bad news, and the paint sentence is literal.
Similar idioms
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