have a field day

have a field day

To have the freedom or an opportunity to do a lot of something one wants. (Said especially of news outlets criticizing someone.) The press is going to have a field day if this story gets out. Our team has been having a field day going over all the information the study produced.See also: field, have

have a field day

Fig. to experience freedom from one's usual work schedule; to have a very enjoyable time. (As with children who are released from classes to take part in sports and athletic contests.) The boss was gone and we had afield day today. No one got anything done. The air was fresh and clear and everyone had a field day in the park during the lunch hour.See also: field, have

have a field day

COMMON If someone has a field day, they enjoy doing something or gain advantages from something, especially something that is caused by problems other people are having. Debt collectors are having a field day in the recession. Our closeness has been noticed. The office gossips are probably having a field day. Note: Field day is used in other structures with a similar meaning. The Act will undoubtedly provide a field day for lawyers keen to offer advice to agents.See also: field, have

have a field day

have full scope for action, success, or excitement, especially at the expense of others. Originally, a field day was literally a day on which military manoeuvres were held as an exercise. 2005 DVD Verdict Hitchcock would have had a field day with this story—he would have injected a far more sinister sensibility. See also: field, have

have a ˈfield day

enjoy a time of great excitement or activity: Whenever this novelist brings out a new book, the critics have a field day, and she is attacked from all sides. ♢ When the royal family go skiing, press photographers have a field day.A field day was originally a military ceremony or exercise.See also: field, have

field day, to have a

To take part in an enjoyable, exciting occasion or pursuit. The expression dates from the mid-1700s and originally meant a special day set aside for troop maneuvers and exercises, as it still does in military circles. Early in the 1800s it began to be transferred to civilian occasions, at first involving groups of people (such as a school outing), and later to any pleasant experience, as in “Mike’s having a field day with his new camera.” See also: field, have