Paint it Red

Day 206 / 365

“Take the world and paint it red!”

What does the phrase “Paint the town red” mean anyway? We know its used as an expression of having fun in a careless sort of way. But how did this saying originate?

You would think that this would have some ancient origins, based on our ancestors having some rituals where they would have painted their homes red to celebrate, or something along those lines. But the actual origin of this phrase is much funnier. And of course, it involves a huge amount of alcohol.

Henry Beresford was a British Nobleman back in the 1800s. He was infamous for his mischiefs. On 6th April 1837, he and some of his friends went out drinking and got wasted. As they were wandering about, they reached a tollgate, and the guy working there asked them to pay a toll. They got annoyed, and they started harassing the toll guy and his assistant. They saw some red paint lying around, so they picked it up and started painting the toll gate. When they toll guy intervened, they painted him too.

They didn’t stop there. They carried the paint through the market place and vandalized the doors, walls, and signs with it. They were so drunk, they literally painted the town red!

This post is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — The Solar Storm of 1859