toast of the town
3
6.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
el centro de atención
- Instantly recognizable by their exposed back zipper, Victoria Beckham's signature bodycon dresses continue to be the toast of the town.
- become the toast of the town
Examples
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Gem, I'm the toast of the town.
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It made him the toast of the town.
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You'll be the toast of the town.
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Marlowe was born to a shoemaker; he went to Cambridge, and here he was in London, the new toast of the town.
Blog text (29) -
Kyd was the son of a scrivener, didn't go to university, and now here he was in London, the toast of the town.
Blog text (29) -
Rex Ryan was the toast of the town two years ago, reaching the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons, and now seems on his way out the door.
Blog text (19) -
Sam Durley of Eureka College in Illinois will be the toast of the town after setting the NCAA single-game passing record with 736 yards in a 62-55 win over Knox.
Blog text (2) -
Everyone wanted to meet the new celebrity; she was the toast of the town after her film premiere.
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Since winning the competition, he has become the toast of the town, receiving invitations to all the parties.
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After his charity event raised a record amount, he became the toast of the town among local philanthropists.
Synonyms
50
1.0
A person many people know because of their achievements
21
7.8
A person admired and talked about by many people
8
4.0
Something or someone that everyone in a place talks about
5
4.1
A person who is well known and admired
2
3.5
A person or thing that most people in a group like more than others
Antonyms
How Popular
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase directly composes 'toast' (a person widely praised) with the locative 'of the town', so the sense 'a person popular in that place' is transparently derivable from the parts. The pattern X of the town/locality is a standard compositional structure in English, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would understand this MWE.
Etymology
Toast of the town may come from old parties where people would raise a glass to someone and call them the toast, the person everyone praised. So, being the toast of the town means being 'popular' or 'admired' in a place.