Reader question: Please explain this sentence, particularly “on the town”: Brunch was invented to satisfy the “day-after” appetite of those who were out on the town until dawn. My comments: Brunch, a combination of breakfast and lunch, was at the beginning designed for people who had missed their breakfast and therefore had a big appetite at lunchtime. They missed their breakfast because, the previous night, for all night (until dawn), they had a lot to drink and perhaps got drunk – “day-after” implies that they were having what is called a hangover to recover from. At any rate, “out on the town” is the idiom that gives us the idea that they had a good time drinking and partying. Town, as in downtown or township, refers either to the business district of a city where shops, cinemas, beer and coffee bars congregate or to a township surrounded by farming areas, the countryside. Well, apparently in the countryside, if farmers want to do a little shopping, watch a movie or have a drink at a bar, they have to go all the way up to the town. This is how going out on the town becomes synonymous with singing, dancing, drinking, partying or just relaxing after a long day of work – generally enjoying oneself and having a good time. Here are a few media examples of what happens while people are out on the town: 1. EVERY smartphone user knows the dread of seeing their battery percentage plunge into single digits. |