TOWN

“Mr. Hitchcock did not say actors are cattle. 

He said they should be treated •like• cattle.”

— James Stewart 

town (n.)

Old English tun "enclosure, garden, field, yard; farm, manor; homestead, dwelling house, mansion;" later "group of houses, village, farm," from Proto-Germanic *tunaz, *tunan "fortified place" (source also of Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old Frisian tun "fence, hedge," Middle Dutch tuun "fence," Dutch tuin "garden," Old High German zun, German Zaun "fence, hedge"), an early borrowing from Celtic *dunon "hill, hill-fort" (source also of Old Irish dun, Welsh din "fortress, fortified place, camp," dinas "city," Gaulish-Latin -dunum in place names), from PIE *dhu-no- "enclosed, fortified place, hill-fort," from root *dheue- "to close, finish, come full circle" (see down (n.2)).

Meaning "inhabited place larger than a village" (mid-12c.) arose after the Norman conquest from the use of this word to correspond to French ville. The modern word is partially a generic term, applicable to cities of great size as well as places intermediate between a city and a village; such use is unusual, the only parallel is perhaps Latin oppidium, which occasionally was applied even to Rome or Athens (each of which was more properly an urbs).

 

First record of town hall is from late 15c. Town ball, version of baseball, is recorded from 1852. Town car (1907) originally was a motor car with an enclosed passenger compartment and open driver's seat. On the town "living the high life" is from 1712. Go to town "do (something) energetically" is first recorded 1933. Man about town "one constantly seen at public and private functions" is attested from 1734.

Kaffee: 

Colonel Jessup!

 Did you order the Code Red?!

Judge Randolph: 

You don't have to answer that question!

Jessup: 

I'll answer the question. 

You want answers?

Kaffee: 

I think I'm entitled to it!

Jessup: 

You want answers?!

Kaffee: 

I want the truth!!

Jessup: 

You can't handle the truth! 

Son, we live in a world that has walls, 

and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. 

Who's gonna do it? You? 

You, Lieutenant Weinberg? 

I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. 

You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. 

You have that luxury. 

You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. 

And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives! 

You don't want the truth, because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. 

You need me on that wall. We use words like "honor", "code", "loyalty". 

We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. 

You use them as a punchline. 

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! 

I would rather you just said "thank you", and went on your way. 

Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. 

Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!

Kaffee: 

Did you order the Code Red?

Jessup: 

I did the job that—-

Kaffee: 

Did you order the Code Red?!

Jessup: 

YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT I DID!