red-letter day
- noun
- /ˈrɛdˌlɛtər deɪ/
- Her wedding was a red-letter day that she will always cherish.
They also gave us a red letter day spa day for me and James to go to the spa, which we both need and I am so excited for this.
- They also gave us a red letter day spa day for me and James to go to the spa, which we both need and I am so excited for this.
Examples
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For good will and fair play it's going to be a red letter day, not only for Melbourne but for all Australia when the Olympic fanfare rings out and the Olympic flag is hoisted at the stadium.
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Another big red-letter day for the Baileys.
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But today is indeed a red-letter day.
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This is a red-letter day.
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Well, I guess this hasn't been exactly a red-letter day for any of us.
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Today is a red-letter day because I finally graduated from university.
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Winning the championship was a red-letter day for the entire team.
Synonyms
A day that is very special and makes people happy
An event you will always remember
Antonyms
How Memorable
Surface Forms
Morphology
red-letter + day
The literal parts 'red' (a color) and 'letter' (a written character) do not transparently combine to mean 'memorable or noteworthy day'; a B1 learner knowing the constituents would not predict this sense. The expression’s meaning depends on a historical/cultural convention (marking important dates in red) rather than compositional semantics, so it is idiomatic and not derivable from the words alone.
Etymology
The noun red-letter day comes from old calendars where special days were written in red with a clear letter so they stood out. So it now means 'a day that is easy to remember or very special'.