field day

a field day

The freedom or an opportunity to do a lot of something one wants. (Often, news outlets are said to be "having a field day" if they are 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
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

field day

A time of great pleasure, activity, or opportunity, as in The press had a field day with this sensational murder trial. This colloquial expression, dating from the 1700s, originally referred to a day set aside for military maneuvers and exercises, and later was extended to a similar day for sports and games. Since the early 1800s it has been used more loosely.
See also: field
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • a field day
  • field day, to have a
  • have a field day
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give somebody their head
  • give someone their head
  • revel
  • revel in
  • revel in (something)
References in periodicals archive
The field days are May 3 at Spavinaw Wildlife Management Area headquarters near Spavinaw, May 4 at the Groendyke North Ranch near Enid, and June 6 at the Pushmataha Wildlife Management Area near Clayton.
Gamebird Field Days set
The Field Day was hosted by Ruthin livestock market.
Weather vanes point to a successful Field Day
The winners will represent Clwyd in the national Field Day finals next month.
SHOW EXPERTISE PAYS DIVIDENDS
Field Day, owned by Ballymacoll Stud, clinched her second win in three starts at Salisbury this month.
Alsace Lorraine bidding to capitalise on fine royal effort
Prior to the Track and Field Day, McCain will host a Roadshow at the Oval Basin, Cardiff Bay, on Saturday, September 20, from 11am-4pm to provide a fun taster of athletics and encourage the local community to sign up and try the real thing the following day.
Athletics: Golden girl Gunnell in Cardiff to track down future athletics stars
Members of Northumberland Young Farmers Club are practising hard for the forthcoming Northern Area Field Day to be held tomorrow.
All set for YFC contests day
Toronto -- When the Canadian mainstream media had a field day over Mel Gibson's drunken manic outburst, it took a Jewish convert to Catholicism to provide some perspective.
Mel Gibson: disproportionate outrage in liberal press
I had asked where the saying `having a field day' came from.
Your questions amswered?
Valle Crucis, NC CFSA Field Day: Farmscaping and Pest Scouting at ASU.
New Life events
The one and only Jenifer Lewis has a field day as Deena Jones, a faded '70s recording artist with a big gay following desperate to make a comeback.
Tonight! On gay TV.... (final cut)
Hollywood stars are all over the place, to the delight of the gossip-column types who are having a field day keeping track of their wining and dinning habits.
From sea to sea: Toronto
Aboriginal artist Michael Nelson Jagamara has a field day with action painting, belting out eye-bruising gestural enlargements of tribal motifs; while New Zealand artist Michael Parekowhai lays Maori claim to Western pop with an installation/performance involving ten hollow-body electric guitars inlaid with paua shells in traditional kowhaiwhai patterns.
THIRD ASIA-PACIFIC TRIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Editorial cartoonists had a field day, late-night talk show hosts made jokes at Falwell's expense and several newspaper columnists weighed in.
Tinky Winky Update: America Laughs, Falwell Fulminates
With such an example of cosmic violence close to home, astronomers should have a field day studying black holes and galactic mergers.
Dust buster eyes fireworks in nearby galaxy
I can imagine my colleagues having a field day with it, and indeed, I would have a field day with it myself if anyone else did the same.
God is in the Gorgonzola