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field day
noun
- a day devoted to outdoor sports or athletic contests, as at a school.
- an outdoor gathering; outing; picnic.
- a day for military exercises and display.
- an occasion or opportunity for unrestricted activity, amusement, etc.:
The children had a field day with their new skateboards.
field day
noun
- a day spent in some special outdoor activity, such as nature study or sport
- a day-long competition between amateur radio operators using battery or generator power, the aim being to make the most contacts with other operators around the world
- military a day devoted to manoeuvres or exercises, esp before an audience
- informal.a day or time of exciting or successful activity
the children had a field day with their new toys
- a day or series of days devoted to the demonstration of farm machinery in country centres
- a combined open day and sale on a stud property
Word History and Origins
Origin of field day1
Idioms and Phrases
A time of great pleasure, activity, or opportunity, as in The press had a field day with this sensational murder trial . This colloquial expression, dating from the 1700s, originally referred to a day set aside for military maneuvers and exercises, and later was extended to a similar day for sports and games. Since the early 1800s it has been used more loosely.Example Sentences
We were having a field-day, and my side of the battle was advancing in sections under shell-fire over fairly flat country.
It was a field-day for the women, for every shop had its strong temptation, and the world seemed on dress-parade.
To brigade the army was impossible, and every field-day was a scene of ludicrous confusion.
The only difficulty to our participating in such a field-day would be the expense for travelling to and fro.
Moreover, to accompany Gatacre on a field-day was a lesson in horsemanship.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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