in the pink of health
- idiom
- Archaic
- India's Central Bank has done a fabulous job during the entire financial crisis, with almost all of India's private and government-owned banks in the pink of health.
Examples
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Regular exercise and a balanced diet have helped him stay in the pink of health.
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After weeks of proper diet and exercise, he is finally in the pink of health.
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She felt energetic and happy, knowing she was in the pink of health after her check-up.
Synonyms
In good body and mind condition without sickness or injury
In good health after being ill or hurt
Being in good physical and mental health
Antonyms
How Healthy
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the word 'health' signals the semantic domain, the color 'pink' does not transparently map to 'very good' or 'robust' health for an average B1 learner; the phrase is an idiomatic/historical expression whose meaning cannot be reliably derived from the literal meanings of its parts. Learners who know the individual words are unlikely to infer the exact sense 'in very good health' without prior exposure.
Etymology
In the pink of health may come from the image of a healthy, rosy face, because pink once meant a fresh, bright color that showed good health. That's why 'in the pink' came to mean 'in very good health'.