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tickled pink

tickled pink

5 6.3
Feeling very pleased and happy
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : muy contento
  • She was tickled pink to receive a surprise birthday party from her friends.
  • just tickled pink
  • father was tickled pink

So I am just tickled pink to see this report finally vindication, finally look at faces they find pretty well.

Examples

  • "After kissing my husband as thoroughly as I knew how, I picked up the phone to call Stan, who was tickled pink by the news."

    Fiction book (2001)
  • If you have a network of leads, customers, and partners eager to create content for you, you're probably tickled pink!

    Blog text (12)
  • And my father was still tickled pink.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I was tickled pink when I finally got to meet her.

    Blog text (8)
  • So, I am tickled pink.

    Blog text (16)
  • You know, I've just been so tickled pink with my life this week.

  • In fact, I was tickled pink when I heard this because it really speaks to the purity of the experience of looking at art.

  • I'd be tickled pink if nearly everybody could be persuaded with logic and reason.

    Blog text (9)
  • (Also, I'm tickled pink that the picture is of Alton Brown; he is the best!)

    Blog text (8)
  • And I'm tickled pink.

    Blog text (11)

Synonyms

delighted
vstickled pink
228 1.0

Feeling very happy about something good

is more intensely happy and often has an amused tone
thrilled
vstickled pink
171 2.3

Feeling very excited and happy

is more about pleasant amusement rather than strong excitement
absolutely thrilled
vstickled pink
6 3.2

Feeling very excited and happy about something

is more about amused happiness than intense excitement

Antonyms

7 3.7

Not happy and a little annoyed

1 4.1

Not finding something funny or enjoyable

How Pleased

tickled pink
  • Informal
5 6.3
thrilled
171 2.3
delighted
228 1.0
happy
1.0
pleased
936 1.0

Surface Forms

tickled pink positive

Morphology

tickle + pink

The verb 'tickle' clearly conveys amusement or delight, so a learner who knows that will likely infer a positive emotional state; however the role of 'pink' is not literal and functions as an intensifier/metaphorical modifier rather than contributing a transparent compositional meaning. Because the color term does not make the exact sense ('very pleased') fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure, the expression is partially but not fully transparent.

Etymology

Tickled pink comes from the picture of someone being lightly tickled until their cheeks turn pink with laughter. So, tickled pink now means 'very pleased'.