to kill the fatted calf
1
8.9
- idiom
- Literature
:
celebrar a lo grande
- To celebrate her promotion, we will kill the fatted calf and throw a large party.
Examples
-
Further evidence of the father's intrigue, argues Breech, is that "it would have taken some time to kill the fatted calf and to prepare for the eating," and that musicians were summoned, for the elder brother hears music on his return.
Academic text (1992) -
Have to kill the fatted calf, what?
-
I'll kill the fatted calf.
-
Then the father orders a servant to kill the fatted calf for a celebratory feast: "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."
Academic text (1992) -
When he returned home after years abroad, the family decided to kill the fatted calf in his honor.
-
They planned to kill the fatted calf to mark their anniversary with a grand feast.
Synonyms
14
7.7
To entertain someone with stories, jokes or a large meal
10
4.3
To treat someone to a fancy meal and drinks to impress them
6
3.7
To give someone a very special welcome, like an important guest
5
2.7
To give someone a large special meal
1
7.7
To honor someone with a large celebration or party
1
6.2
Make simple food into a large special meal with many dishes
1
7.2
To pay for dinner as a treat for others
Antonyms
How Lavish
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal composition ('kill' + 'fatted' + 'calf') clearly evokes slaughtering a well‑fed animal for a special meal, so a learner who knows the words can infer a connection to feasting or celebration. However, the phrase functions as a culturally specific idiom (Biblical/proverbial background) meaning 'to welcome or celebrate someone with lavish hospitality,' which is a pragmatic extension not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
The idiom kill the fatted calf comes from an old story where a father kept a special fat cow, the fatted calf, and would kill it to make a big feast when his child came home. That's why the phrase now means 'to celebrate' or 'welcome someone with a big party'.