paint the town red

Cultural  

1. To go carousing: “Arnie and a few of his buddies drove off in a big car Friday night and really painted the town red.”

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paint the town red Idioms  

1. Go on a spree, as in Whenever they go to New York they want to paint the town red. The precise allusion of this term is disputed. Some believe it refers to setting something on fire; others point to a vague association of the color red with violence. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paint the town red

Cornhusker Corner is open twelve months a year, seven days a week, serving to paint the town red.

From Time Magazine Archive

Returning to Blida a convinced nationalist, Benkhedda wrote patriotic pamphlets and organized a group to paint the town red with slogans for Algerian independence.

From Time Magazine Archive

Won't I paint the town red, that's all!

From A Student in Arms Second Series by Hankey, Donald

I don't know, now, what we did when we found the boat had gone without us, but we made up our minds to paint the town red.

From Captivity by Eyles, M. Leonora

When we get to New York we will simply paint the town red, and if you wish, then, we'll go on to Europe.

From The Desired Woman by Harben, Will N. (William Nathaniel)

Related Words

• honor
• laud
• observe
• perform
• praise
• proclaim
• revere