Carry on with what you are doing – it will give me an excuse to behave badly.
Make my day
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Make my day'?
What's the origin of the phrase 'Make my day'?
This line was made famous by the Clint Eastwood character Inspector (Dirty) Harry Callahan in the 1983 film Sudden Impact – the fourth film of the Dirty Harry series. Callahan encouraged felons to commit crimes so that he would have an excuse to shoot them. In Sudden Impact he dares a crook to shoot his hostage with the line “Go on punk, make my day”.
Dirty Harry wasn’t the first to use the phrase with that meaning though. It had been spoken earlier by the character Tom Walsh – played by Gary Swanson in the film Vice Squad, 1982. In that film the line was, “Go ahead scumbag, make my day”.
The history of “Make my day” in printed materials
Trend of make my day in printed material over time
Related phrases and meanings
Browse more Phrases
About the Author
Phrases & Meanings
A-Z
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T UV W XYZ
Categories
American Animals Australian Bible Body Colour Conflict Death Devil Dogs Emotions Euphemism Family Fashion Food French Horses ‘Jack’ Luck Money Military Music Names Nature Nautical Numbers Politics Religion Shakespeare Stupidity Entertainment Weather Women Work
How did we do?
Have you spotted something that needs updated on this page? We review all feedback we receive to ensure that we provide the most accurate and up to date information on phrases.