town is empty
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The season (q.v.) is over; society has left town for the country. The few millions who live there and work do not count.
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 “town is empty” mean?
The season (q.v.) is over; society has left town for the country. The few millions who live there and work do not count.
Is “town is empty” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.