man about town

noun

1. a socially active, sophisticated man who frequents fashionable nightclubs, theaters, restaurants, etc.; playboy; boulevardier.

man about town

noun

1. a fashionable sophisticate, esp one in a big city

Word History and Origins

Origin of man about town¹

First recorded in 1775–85

Idioms and Phrases

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.