Whiteisms
The Archive

Etymology Journal ยท R

Roll out the red carpet

Meaning

To treat someone with special importance and give them a very warm, lavish welcome. It signifies that you are pulling out all the stops for a guest.

Welcoming, grand

Used in a sentence

  • We wanted to roll out the red carpet when the grandparents visited.
  • They really rolled out the red carpet for the new CEO.
  • No need to roll out the red carpet, we are just coming over for pizza.

The backstory

The practice of laying out a carpet for royalty or dignitaries dates back to ancient times. The red carpet in particular became the gold standard for movie stars and celebrities in the 20th century.

Heard in

Nationwide

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