toast of the town

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

toast of the town (plural toasts of the town)

1. (idiomatic, dated) A person, male or female, who is admired and very popular in local society, and who is sought after to attend parties, public events, etc.
   • c. 1780, Robert Burns, Mary Morison:

     I sat, but neither heard nor saw:
     Tho' this was fair, and that was braw,
     And yon the toast of a' the town,
     I sigh'd, and said among them a',
     "Ye are na Mary Morison."

   • 1898 November 25, “A Woman's Unique Revenge”, in Atlanta Constitution, page 4:

     Miss Moore was the toast of the town, and numerous were the advantageous opportunities of matrimony of which she was the recipient.

   • 1928 May 20, O. O. McIntyre, “Giving Things the "O. O." With McIntyre”, in Miami News, retrieved 29 August 2011, page 8:

     Miss Dorothy Parker seems to be the newest literary toast of the town.

   • 1945 September 28, Allen V. Dowling, “Detroit Needs Just One More”, in Warsaw Daily Union, USA, retrieved 29 Aug. 2011, page 5:

     Newhouser was the toast of the town for his masterful, 11 to 0 shutout in which he struck out 10 batters.

Usage notes

• Popularized in North America in the 1950s as an alternative name of The Ed Sullivan Show television program.

Synonyms

• local hero
• man of the hour / woman of the hour / person of the hour

See also

• talk of the town

References

• “toast of the town”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.