to roll out the welcome mat
1
4.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
dar la bienvenida
- Houston, a booming metro and emerging world city, rolled out the welcome mat for them—and for Latinos, Asians, and other newcomers.
Examples
-
The hotel staff always rolls out the welcome mat for guests arriving on their first stay.
-
Roll out the welcome mat for Miss Dorothy Gale.
-
Samantha decided to roll out the welcome mat for her new neighbors by preparing a special dinner.
-
To make everyone feel at home, the host rolled out the welcome mat by offering drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
Synonyms
173
1.6
To greet and welcome someone into a place or group
6
3.7
To give someone a very special welcome, like an important guest
2
1.8
Welcome someone with warm words and a smile
Meet someone at the door to welcome them
Antonyms
How Welcome
- Informal
6
3.7
- Informal
1
4.8
31
1.0
583
1.0
248
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
roll + out + the + welcome + mat
The meaning is directly interpretable from its parts: 'roll out' (to unroll or present) combined with 'welcome mat' (a mat used to greet guests) evokes the concrete action of presenting hospitality, which maps straightforwardly to 'make someone feel welcome.' This composed, imageable scene follows normal English compositional patterns and would be readily inferred by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words (though some cultural familiarity with the practice of a welcome mat can help).
Etymology
Roll out the welcome mat comes from the simple act of a host rolling out a clean welcome mat or carpet to greet an important guest. So it now means 'to make someone feel very welcome' by giving them extra attention.