Q&A: The origin of ‘having a field day’

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, field assignments..

Q: Hi AWC, where does the term “having a field day” come from?

A: Can you provide an example?

Q: Sure. “The press are going to have a field day with this scandal”.

A: Okay, yep. Quite often that form of the idiomatic phrase is used in reference to reporters or the media. But it didn’t start out that way, as we’ll find out.

Q: So where does it come from? Is it cricket?

A: What makes you think that?

Q: Well some of those games go on for five days, so if the other team keeps batting, your team will have a day in the field.

A: It’s a good point, and the idea of “fielding a ball” and so on certainly came from cricket. But for this phrase, we need to put on our uniform.

Q: Oh goodie! I love dress-ups! Okay, um, I have a school uniform, or maybe a nurse’s uniform? Hmmm… this leather thing, with buckles…

A: Not going to ask… But no, we mean a military uniform.

Q: Ah right. Okay.

A: The original “field day” was a day of military exercises or manoeuvres – essentially a day spent playing war games and rehearsing tactics, held in actual fields. Etymology Online dates it back to 1747. The word field pops up frequently in military contexts – such as “in the field of battle” or a “field soldier”.

Q: Okay, so how did we get from there to here?

A: Well, first up, there are still a bunch of literal field days that might occur today. A day spent researching something “in the field” (out of a lab or classroom) might be called a field day (usually a field trip). Also, a school might hold a sports day and these – much like what the military ran in actual fields – are also outdoor exercises.

Q: Oh, I remember doing those. The parents would turn up too and we’d do three-legged races, which was always SO unfair as Sarah M’s mother actually HAD three legs.

A: Well anyway, the military also sometimes denotes field days as a day for cleaning the barracks, while farming and agricultural expos are often called ‘field days’.

Q: I’ve heard they showcase award-winning scarecrows at those.

A: Oh really?

Q: Yes, they’re all out standing in their field! Bahahahaaa.

A: Groan. Anyway, by the 1820s the original military “field day” of activity evolved to also have a figurative meaning – “any day of unusual bustle, exertion or display”. This might have been initially used for any eventful day.

Q: Such as?

A: “The kids went to the amusement park and had a field day on all the rides.”

Q: Okay.

A: However, by the early 20th century, the phrase “to have a field day” seems to have branched off to mean having fun not just for the sake of it but at someone else’s expense. This is ultimately where we get the “press having a field day” from.

Q: So it’s about someone finding enjoyment in someone’s misfortune?

A: That’s one take. It often has cynical overtones, but it can also simply go back to that bustle and activity idea – to mean a lot of people talking about a topic. For example, “the local neighbourhood is going to have a field day when they hear about the developer’s plans.”

Q: Gotcha.

A: Of course, typically when referring to the press, it’s about them rubbing their hands with glee at the content they can write about a particular event – and yes, very often it is something scandalous.

Q: So, to recap – “having a field day” was initially a literal day of military exercises. Today it can still be that, or a bunch of other sporting, research or agricultural days in actual fields. However, it’s more likely a figurative phrase meaning to get excited about a particular event.

A: That’s right! And we’ve fielded enough questions for today. Goodbye.

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