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Meaning & use

the fatted calf

phrase·Advanced

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UK/ðə ˌfætɪd ˈkɑːf/
US/ðə ˌfætɪd ˈkæf/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phraseliterary

    A warm, generous welcome given to someone who has been away for a long time, often with a special meal.

    Grammar: Used mainly in the pattern 'kill the fatted calf (for someone)'; the phrase itself is a noun phrase meaning the welcome or the celebration.

    Patterns

    • kill the fatted calf for someone
    • kill the fatted calf when someone returns

    When their son came back after ten years abroad, the whole family killed the fatted calf and invited everyone they knew.

    She had only been gone a month, but her grandmother still killed the fatted calf and cooked enough food for a week.

    The company killed the fatted calf for the returning director, with a dinner and speeches in the old boardroom.

  2. phrasefixed phraseliteraryreligion

    A calf that has been fed well and made fat, especially one prepared as food for a celebration.

    Grammar: This is the literal meaning; it appears mostly in the biblical story and in direct references to it.

    Patterns

    • the fatted calf was killed
    • bring the fatted calf

    In the parable, the father orders his servants to bring the fatted calf and prepare it for the feast.

    The fatted calf had been kept for a special occasion, so the arrival of the guests was a good excuse.

Common combinations

kill the fatted calf
They killed the fatted calf when their daughter returned from her studies overseas.
kill the fatted calf for someone
The village killed the fatted calf for the soldiers coming home.
a fatted calf
The farmer kept a fatted calf aside for the winter festival.
the fatted calf was killed
In the story, the fatted calf was killed as soon as the younger son arrived.

Synonyms and how they differ

a hero's welcome
This describes a big public welcome, while 'the fatted calf' suggests a family or household celebration with food.
a warm reception
A warmer, more general phrase; it does not carry the biblical image of a special meal.

Opposites

a cold reception

Word family

fatten verb
to make an animal or person fatter, often before it is killed or sold.
fat adjective
having a lot of flesh on the body; the word from which 'fatted' is formed.

Commonly confused: the fatted calf or calf?

the fatted calf vs calf

Remember that 'calf' has two plurals: 'calves' for young cattle, and 'calves' also for the back part of your lower leg.

Practice

The family decided to ______ when their eldest son returned after many years away.

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