to tickle pink
1
6.3
- idiom
- Informal
- He'll be tickled pink.
Examples
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Dean will be tickled pink.
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I'm tickled pink to think you should have chosen dear old Bovington as a venue for the arts.
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Your father was tickled pink about that.
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I was really tickled pink.
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Vera will be tickled pink to see you.
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Miss Cruz, I would be tickled pink to have you race for team Dinoco.
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Einstein would've been tickled pink.
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I bet Uncle Demetrius is gonna be tickled pink when he finds out about your bureau buddies.
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Give 'em a little wine, or a bottle of hair tonic, and they're tickled pink.
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She was tickled pink when she received the surprise gift.
Synonyms
94
1.0
To touch someone lightly so they feel a tingle or laugh
44
2.1
To give a sudden strong feeling of excitement and pleasure
1
6.9
To make someone laugh or feel amused
1
6.9
To make someone feel very happy and full of energy
1
9.9
Make someone feel very happy and amused
Antonyms
How Pleased
Surface Forms
Morphology
tickle + pink
The verb 'tickle' clearly conveys amusement or delight, so a B1 learner who knows that word could infer the expression relates to being amused. However, the contribution of 'pink' (a colour) to intensify that meaning is not a regular compositional pattern and is idiomatic ('tickled pink' functions as an intensifier), so the full meaning is not fully predictable without prior exposure. This partial predictability makes the item semi-transparent.
Etymology
Tickle pink comes from the picture of being tickled until you laugh and your face turns pink with pleasure. That's why 'tickled pink' means 'very pleased'.