Paint the Town RedHow a drunken aristocrat inspired a famous saying.

From the show

History of Phrases

The expression for a wild night out has a chaotic and surprisingly literal origin. In 1837, the Marquis of Waterford and his friends went on a drunken rampage after the races in Melton Mowbray, England. They vandalized the town by literally covering a tollgate, doors, a statue, and even a constable in red paint. This specific act of aristocratic hooliganism is now believed to be the source of the popular idiom.