Ton (le bon ton)

"The ton" is a term commonly used to refer to Britain's high society during the late Regency and the reign of George IV, and later. It is a French word meaning (in this sense) "manners" or "style" and is pronounced as in French ([tɔ̃]). The full phrase is le bon ton meaning "good manners" or "good form" – characteristics held as ideal by the British beau monde.

The term le beau monde (pronounced [bo mɔ̃d]), literally meaning "the beautiful world" (but here meaning "fashionable people," or "fashionable society"), was similar to le bon ton during the nineteenth century.

"The ton" has also been used to refer to the Upper Ten Thousand of later 19th-century society, including most of the peerage, aristocracy and wealthy merchants or bankers of the City (of London).

The social ladder

Ton society was intensely class-conscious and the social hierarchy was incredibly rigid. Birth, wealth, titles, and other factors determined class standing:

Bon Ton

Bon Ton may refer to:

Bon Ton (play)

Bon Ton; or, High Life About Stairs is a comedy act in two acts by David Garrick, first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 18 March 1775. According to Garrick's introductory notice to the play, it had been written many years before.

References

Bon Ton (brothel)

Bon Ton is a high-end brothel chain in New Zealand. It operates two brothels in the country – one in the capital city Wellington and the other in the nation's largest city Auckland. "Bon Ton" is a French term which means "good taste". The brothel is owned by Jennifer Souness, a former model who modeled for various European fashion labels.

In a feature story on prostitution in New Zealand, the BBC News Online described Bon Ton as "an ideal showcase for New Zealand-style liberalisation." The brothel is characterized by quality rooms resembling luxury suites and a professionally maintained office. Louise Jolliffe writing in The Wellington Guide asserted that Bon Ton looks closer to "a luxury lodge than a brothel".

All the women working at Bon Ton have other occupations and work as prostitutes on a part-time basis. During employment testing, applicants are asked whether they like sex. Brothel owner Souness asserted these women like their work. According to the BBC News Online, the escorts working at Bon Ton say they find the work environment respectful.

Ton

The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of mass. Its original use as a measurement of volume has continued in the capacity of cargo ships and in terms such as the freight ton. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.

It is derived from the tun, the term applied to a barrel of the largest size. This could contain a volume between 175 and 213 imperial gallons (210 and 256 US gal), which could weigh around 2,000 pounds (910 kg) and occupy some 60 cubic feet (1.7 m³) of space.

In the United Kingdom the ton is defined as 2,240 pounds (1,016 kg) (avoirdupois pounds). From 1965 the UK embarked upon a programme of metrication and gradually introduced metric units, including the tonne (metric ton), defined as 1000 kg (2,204.6 lbs). The UK Weights and Measures Act 1985 explicitly excluded from use for trade many units and terms, including the ton and the term "metric ton" for "tonne".

Ton (disambiguation)

A ton is a unit of mass, force, volume, energy or power.

Ton or TON may also refer to:

Places

Abbreviations

Miscellaneous

See also

Tonás

Tonás (Spanish pronunciation: [toˈnas]) is the name given to a palo or type of flamenco songs. It belongs to the wider category of Cantes a palo seco, that is, palos which are sung without accompaniment or a cappella. Owing to this feature, they are considered by traditional flamencology to be the oldest surviving musical form of flamenco. The first flamenco singer known in history, Tío Luis el de la Juliana, who lived in Jerez de la Frontera in the last third of the 18th century was said to have excelled in this palo.

Other cantes a palo seco, such as martinetes and debla are sometimes classified under tonás, while at other times they are referred to as palos on their own.

The tonás were almost in disuse by the end of the 19th century. The reason seems to be that they were considered a difficult style by the general public, and therefore were not considered apt for the stage. Although there were always some singers that kept singing them in private gatherings, their practical banning form the stage resulted in the total oblivion of some toná styles.