night on the tiles

phrase-synonym of 'night on the town':
A night out with friends in a town or city centre during which one usually indulges in drinking, dancing, and the inadvertent concoction of hilarious anecdotes.
The word 'tiles' probably refers to the tiles that make up dance floors.

A night on the tiles refers to pubs in Sydney Australia. There was a law many years ago that mandated closing of the pubs at 6 pm. The men working locally got off work at 5 pm and needed to drink as much beer as they could in 1 hour. If they lost their spot at the bar to use the toilet, they would lose their chance to drink... causing them to relieve themselves where they stood. After time, the wood foundation of the pub smelled really bad and the wood rotted. The pub owners did repairs and put ceramic tiles up where needed... so they could hose down the waste ... thus drinking heavily.. and a night on the tiles

Imagine you have food poisioning so bad that it is not a good idea to leave the bathroom for fear of not making it back in time. You are running a fever and you find that laying on the cold tiles of the bathroom are a welcome discovery to try and help lower your fever while also being ready for the next squirt that comes out of whatever orifice your sickness chooses to come out of. Might as well clean the floor as best as you can and grab a pillow, this is going to be a long night on the tiles.