man about town
- a socially active, sophisticated man who frequents fashionable nightclubs, theaters, restaurants, etc.; playboy; boulevardier.
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Origin of man about town
First recorded in 1775–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for man-about-town
Contemporary Examples
“The Wohls really helped him a lot once Joselyn started dating him,” says a man-about-town who knows Parker well.
Historical Examples
He was quite the man-about-town of the conversation, while the easy-shaver was the child.
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
He was a man-about-town, living, to all appearance, by his wits.
A Difficult ProblemAnna Katharine Green (Mrs. Charles Rohlfs)
The man-about-town duly made his appearance to the very minute.
The Opal SerpentFergus Hume
He had an admirable appetite for pleasure; a man-about-town's life suited him.
Villa Rubein and Other StoriesJohn Galsworthy
He was always a man-about-town, but he and Brian were inseparable.
The Riddle of the Mysterious LightMary E. Hanshew
man about town
- a fashionable sophisticate, esp one in a big city
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with man-about-town
man about town
A man who frequently attends fashionable social functions, as in Fred is quite the man about town these days. This expression, first recorded in 1734, uses town in the sense of “a sophisticated place” as opposed to rural settings.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.