Have you seen the phrase 'in the pink' somewhere and would like to know more about the meaning and context of the saying? The saying 'in the pink' does not mean what most people imagine it does when they first hear it, and the innocent phrase derives from William Shakespeare. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this saying.
Meaning
The saying 'in the pink' is a common figurative English expression.
The expression 'in the pink' can be used to mean that something is going well, or that something is all good.
Sometimes the phrase 'in the pink' is used as a reference that means specifically someone's health or wellbeing.
The phrase can be used as a statement, but someone can also say the phrase as a response.
There are several different ways in which someone can use the saying, including to say that '[it's going] in the pink' .
The phrase is most often used as a whole sentence, and the context is made clear by the rest of what has been said.
Someone can also use the phrase in the denial form to say 'not in the pink' to imply ill health, or that things are not going well.
Original use of the phrase simply meant that things are going well, while modern use of the phrase can imply that the issue is related to health.
There are other phrases in English that relate feeling to color, including someone who 'feels green' to say that they feel ill.
Example Usage
“My grandson asked me how things are going the other day. When I told him that it was going in the pink, he told me that I was disgusting and I don't understand what he must have thought I meant. The internet has ruined children.”
“I called the office to ask how the project was going far. Their answer was 'in the pink', now what the fuck is that supposed to mean? I don't know how I'm supposed to note that in the progress report.”
“If something is going well, you just tell someone that it's going in the pink. But now I wondered, what's the opposite of that supposed to be?”
“Just tell her that things are going right in the pink. She reads a lot of Shakespeare and Jane Austen, so she'll probably know what that means.”
Origin
The origin of the saying 'in the pink' is agreed by most online language resources to date back to the famous William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet.
After the phrase appeared in the works of Shakespeare, the phrase would soon be included in popular speech in the English language. Popularity would spike throughout the 1900s and 2000s, as Shakespeare's works would become adapted into plays, films and more during this time.
For many people who use the phrase, the origin of 'in the pink' has become obscured and only some of its original meaning remains.
It is possible and probably likely that the phrase is related to 'rosy cheeks' to imply that someone is healthy and doing well.
Some resources mistakenly list the phrase as originating from the practice of the pink ball in competitive snooker: as far as most resources are convinced, this is not the origin of the phrase at all, as Shakespeare's use occurs long before the invention of the game.
Phrases Similar to In the Pink
- Rosy cheeks
Phrases Opposite to In the Pink
- Feeling green
What is the Correct Saying?
- [things are] in the pink
- [it's going] in the pink
Ways People May Say In the Pink Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the term 'in the pink' in the wrong way, including to confuse the meaning of the phrase if it is not familiar to them.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase In the Pink
The correct way to use the phrase 'in the pink' is to use it as a reference to how something is going, often related to someone's health.
The phrase can state 'in the pink', or also state the opposite of 'not in the pink'.