go to town

1. Act without restraint, overindulge, as in He went to town on the hors d'oeuvres, finishing nearly all of them . [Early 1900s]

2. Do something efficiently and energetically. For example, She really went to town, not only developing and printing the film but making both mat and frame . [Early 1900s]

3. Be successful, as in After months of hard work, their business is really going to town . [Mid-1900s]

Idioms and Phrases

Also, go to town on .

Example Sentences

The foreman was standing there, watching the painters; and he looked, and there was David, all dressed in his go-to-town clothes.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• begin
• carry out
• develop
• do
• enforce
• execute
• function
• move
• operate
• pursue
• respond
• serve
• undertake