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聖誕新年剛過，相信大家都各有自己的節目歡度佳節。很多人會趁節日期間，例如聖誕前夕或除夕夜出外吃喝玩樂，狂歡一下，開心一番 。這些時候就可用上paint the town red這英文短語。把全城髹上火紅，的確很熱鬧。
短語中的動詞paint原本是髹上漆油的意思，但paint the town red並不是真的解作把城市髹成紅色，而是狂歡盡興，盡情享樂的意思。通常這是一群人一同慶祝某個節日或慶典，聯群結隊出外大吃大喝，熱熱鬧鬧、開開心心地狂歡一番。有時候可以簡單說成paint the town，不加上顏色。所以當朋友邀請你出去paint the town red，不是邀請你去髹油，而是約你去狂歡玩樂。
It's Christmas Eve. Let's go out and paint the town red.
今天是聖誕節前夕，我們出去熱鬧慶祝一下吧。
The students went out to paint the town as soon as they had finished their exams.
剛考完試，學生們就聯群結隊出外玩樂狂歡。
They were so excited about their victory in the competition that they painted the town red to celebrate.
他們在比賽中勝出，興奮地出外狂歡慶祝。
On the town 輕鬆一下
平日勤勞工作，偶爾找一個晚上出外放鬆一下，到餐館吃飯、戲院看戲、酒吧聚會等等，可用另一短語on the town形容，寫作go out on the town、be on the town或have a night on the town。
Having finished the project, they went out on the town to celebrate.
完成項目後，他們到城中的消遣場所慶祝。
He looks exhausted today because he was on the town with some colleagues last night.
他今天的樣子很疲倦，因為他昨晚與一些同事到城中娛樂消遣。
We have been working very hard. Let's have a night on the town and relax a little.
這些日子我們一直辛勞工作，不如找個晚上到城中消遣，輕鬆一下。
聖誕新年過後，農曆新年將隨之而來，又是家人朋友聚會的時候。慶祝佳節之時，可以paint the town red或go out on the town，但亦要知所節制。■Lina CHU [ linachu88@gmail.com ]
隔星期三見報
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