open town—
1. (U.S.) a town characterized by a lack of restrictions on places for drinking, gambling, etc.:
- They form a Committee to clean up San Francisco, and as chairman they take the man who’s been running it as an open town for sixteen years.
2. an undefended town exempt from enemy bombardment because of its great historical importance:
- It may mean surrender in return for such quite valueless concessions as “no bombing of open towns.”
wide-open town— = open town 1:
- He has been elected three times because the citizens want a wide-open town.