# field day

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/field-day
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A great time or a great deal to do; a period of bustling activity.

## Examples

- The kids had a field day playing in the park all afternoon.
- The hungry birds have a field day whenever we leave crumbs on the patio.
- The local journalists had a field day when they discovered the mayor was hiding secret bank accounts.
- The marketing team had a field day when their competitor accidentally posted an embarrassing video on social media.
- After the heavy snowstorm, the local children had a field day building massive forts and having snowball fights in the street.
- Given the abundance of unverified rumors circulating online, the gossip columnists had a field day dissecting every detail of the celebrity's sudden departure.

## Origin

The idiom is thought to derive from the military use of the term for a parade day. Such an occasion was considered significantly less taxing for the soldiers than their customary drilling and intense physical exercise. When a regiment was granted a field day, the usual rigours of service were suspended in favour of a display, making the event a matter of relative ease and public performance.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.