kill the fatted calf
kill the fatted calf :
produce a lavish celebratory feast
The allusion is to the New Testament story, of the prodigal son (Luke 15 : 11 - 32), in which the forgiving father orders his best calf to be killed in order to provide a feast to celebrate the return of his wayward son. Fatted is an archaic form of the verb fat meaning to make or to become fat. Nowadays we use the forms fatten and fattened.
kill the fatted calf :
Idioms Index – Previous Page
Related Links : kill the fatted calf