(WYTV)- The expression ‘tickled pink’ comes from the 17th century meaning of ‘tickle’ which is to give pleasure or gratify.
In the 1800s, people began using a similar expression tickled to death to mean very pleased.
Let’s look at tickle first. People usually laugh very hard when someone tickles them, making them seem very happy, but it’s closer to abuse.
By the early 1900s, we were using the expression tickled pink to describe someone who blushes when being tickled.
The first time the phrase itself shows up in print was in a 1910 Illinois newspaper article. The phrase today has nothing to do with the action of tickling people or being tickled. It simply means pleasure or gratification.
It’s like the feeling you get after being tickled as your senses and nerves return to normal, leaving you feeling relaxed and perhaps a little pink in the cheeks.
We saw the blood rush to your cheeks, you were tickled pink.
