Window on the world

Posted by Bob June 13, 2005In reply to Window on the world posted by Brian from Shawnee on June 13, 2005

A Chilean friend's daughter has an English exam and asked me what the phrase "window on the world" means. Any help would be appreciated.
Yours, Leslie

There was a Window on the World restaurant at the World Trade Center.

I'm looking for the origin or first use of the expression. No luck so far. Here's what I think: it means a panoramic or eagle's eye view of everything.

Panoramic = 2 a : an unobstructed or complete view of an area in every direction b : a comprehensive presentation of a subject (Merriam-Webster online).

Window is from an Old Norse word for "an eye of wind," suggesting a window's function of letting in both air and light. (Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

Can be used metaphorically, too. BBC News is, to many people, a window to the world.

Technically the restaurant in the WTC was "Windows on the World".

If I was to guess, I'd guess the phrase was first applied to a television set.

The public TV station in Chicago is WTTW, aka "Window to the World." (If true, the world is a dreary mix of earnest talking heads, travel documentaries, self-help ("newage") uplift, and Sesame Street.