red-letter day
idiom

- a special, happy, and important day that you will always remember

The Cambridge  Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The earliest reference to “red letters” was written  by William Caxton in 1490 in ‘The boke of Eneydos’: “We wryte yet in oure kalenders the hyghe festes wyth rede lettres of coloure of purpre.”

Medieval church festivals were marked in red on calendars as were the initial capitals (known as rubrics) on illuminated manuscripts.

Nowadays in the UK, current calendars indicate special dates and holidays (Sundays, Christmas Day, Midsummer Day, etc.) in red colour instead of black.

In the UK, other civil dates, such as royal birthdays or coronations, are also marked in red on calendars.

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TEST YOUR RED!

The English translations of the following phrases all contain the word “red”. How many do you know?

- in den roten Zahlen

- auf frischer Tat erwischt werden

- wie ein rotes Tuch wirken

- rot sehen

- jdn. mit großem Bahnhof empfangen

- eine falsche Spur

- Amtsschimmel

- rot werden wie eine Tomate

- auf die Pauke hauen

(scroll down for answers)

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- in den roten Zahlen = to be in the red
 
- auf frischer Tat erwischt werden = to be caught red-handed
 
- wie ein rotes Tuch wirken = like a red flag to a bull

- rot sehen = to see red
 
- jdn. mit großem Bahnhof empfangen = to give someone the red carpet treatment

- eine falsche Spur = a red herring

- Amtsschimmel = red tape

- rot werden wie eine Tomate = to go as red as a beetroot

- auf die Pauke hauen = to paint the town red

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SYNONYMS

- a day of festivity or recreation, typically when no work is done

anniversary, beanfeast, carnival, celebration day, centenary, commemoration, day of observance, day to remember, feast day, festival day, fete, fest, fiesta, gala day, holiday, jamboree, jubilee, holy day, merrymaking, name day, RED-LETTER DAY, religious festival, fest, revelry, festivities, silver/diamond/golden jubilee, special day

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“Jill’s RED-LETTER DAY was when she was promoted to Division Director.”

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and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40