field day

noun

1. a day devoted to outdoor sports or athletic contests, as at a school.

2. an outdoor gathering; outing; picnic.

3. a day for military exercises and display.

4. an occasion or opportunity for unrestricted activity, amusement, etc..

   The children had a field day with their new skateboards.

field day

noun

1. a day spent in some special outdoor activity, such as nature study or sport

2. 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

3. military a day devoted to manoeuvres or exercises, esp before an audience

4. informal,  a day or time of exciting or successful activity

   the children had a field day with their new toys

5. 1. a day or series of days devoted to the demonstration of farm machinery in country centres

   2. a combined open day and sale on a stud property

Word History and Origins

Origin of field day¹

First recorded in 1740–50

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

They’re making field days the centerpiece of birthday celebrations and bachelorette parties.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Someone with a parasocial attachment to the pair would have a field day trying to decipher which of the album’s eight tracks are about the other.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The production, directed by Teddy Bergman, has a field day with the woke-run-amok ethos of Eureka Day, where kids at the school cheer the other team’s goals at soccer games.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In the wake of January’s horrific fires, detractors of Los Angeles — an urban reality often seen as a toxic mixture of unsustainable resource planning and structurally poor governance systems — are having a field day.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Maro Itoje has had a field day on occasions so far on the tour, but he is going to experience a pressure he hasn't been under yet.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• anniversary 
• commemoration 
• competition 
• fair 
• feast 
• gala 
• holiday