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

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

In the second instance the crews of two Cardiff tramps had joined in an effort to "paint the town red" at Bilbao, the Spanish port.

From Scotland Yard The methods and organisation of the Metropolitan Police by Dilnot, George

"But I'm not off to paint the town red," says John, believing the other thinks it is his intention to see the sights of Malta's capital by night—"I have an engagement."

From Miss Caprice by Rathborne, George, St.

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

Related Words

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