going to town
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Full of life and high spirits. An American expression, probably originating among backwoodsmen.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “going to town” mean?
Full of life and high spirits. An American expression, probably originating among backwoodsmen.
Is “going to town” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.