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Glite Dictionary
Fat Tuesday

Fat Tuesday

3 4.3
A day of feasting and parties before Lent, also called Mardi Gras
  • noun
  • /fæt ˈtjuːzdeɪ/
translation icon : Martes Gordo
  • In New Orleans, the streets are filled with parades and music as locals celebrate Fat Tuesday.
  • Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras)

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebration beginning on or after the Christian feast of the Epiphany feast.

Examples

  • Being connected with a movable fast, Carnival, notably Mardi Gras—'Fat Tuesday,' its climax just before Ash Wednesday, became a movable feast.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The Rio Carnival officially starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, after which one is supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures.

    Blog text (24)

  • I made these for a Fat Tuesday celebration at school; they are the BEST cupcakes.

    Blog text (2)

  • Mardi Gras coincides with Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, and can be any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9.

    Blog text (24)

  • Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebration beginning on or after the Christian feast of the Epiphany feast.

    The Basement Yard

  • With the exception of Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras day), spectators do not wear costumes and thus are relatively easy to observe.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Many people indulge in rich foods and festivities on Fat Tuesday before the season of Lent begins.

  • School children often celebrate Fat Tuesday by making colorful masks and enjoying tasty treats.

Synonyms

Mardi Gras
vsFat Tuesday
13 3.4

A festival in New Orleans that has parades, music, masks, and street parties

is the whole pre-Lent day rather than only the street carnival
pancake day
vsFat Tuesday
  • UK
1 4.0

The day before Lent when people eat pancakes

is a general feast day with wide celebrations rather than a single food focus
Shrove Tuesday
vsFat Tuesday
8.3

A day before Lent when Christians often eat pancakes

is mainly a festive, food and party day rather than a formal religious observance

Surface Forms

Fat Tuesday singular
Fat Tuesdays plural

Morphology

fat + Tuesday

The phrase pairs 'fat' (suggesting richness/indulgence) with 'Tuesday' (a weekday), so a B1 learner who knows both words can plausibly infer it denotes a Tuesday associated with feasting or excess. However, the specific cultural/religious reference (the day before Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras) and its fixed calendrical meaning are cultural knowledge beyond simple composition, so the expression is only partially predictable.

Etymology

The name Fat Tuesday comes from the custom of eating rich, fatty foods on the last Tuesday before 'Lent', so people could enjoy one big meal before they began to 'fast'. That's why Fat Tuesday today is a day of feasting, parades, and parties the day before 'Ash Wednesday'.