paint the town red
/peɪnt ðə taʊn red/
Meaning
This playful, casual idiom means to go out into a city or town and celebrate flamboyantly, usually by drinking, dancing, and visiting multiple nightlife venues. It is often used by travelers planning a fun, energetic night out in a new destination.
Examples
-
It's our last night in Tokyo, so let's go out and paint the town red!
It's our last night in Tokyo, so let's go out and paint the town red!
-
After winning the championship, the team went out to paint the town red.
After winning the championship, the team went out to paint the town red.
-
We decided to paint the town red to celebrate her graduation.
We decided to paint the town red to celebrate her graduation.
-
They spent their weekend in Las Vegas painting the town red.
They spent their weekend in Las Vegas painting the town red.
-
Instead of staying in the hotel, we chose to paint the town red.
Instead of staying in the hotel, we chose to paint the town red.
Common Mistakes
-
✗ We painted red the town last night.
✓ We painted the town red last night.
The word order is fixed: 'paint' + 'the town' + 'red'.
-
✗ They want to paint the city red.
✓ They want to paint the town red.
Even if you are in a massive city, the idiom strictly uses the word 'town'.
Related Expressions
Practice
-
Since it's your birthday, we are going to ___ tonight!
💡 Go out and celebrate wildly.
Show answer
paint the town red
-
They saved up some extra cash so they could ___ during their trip to Paris.
💡 Have an exciting, festive night out.
Show answer
paint the town red