Late 1800's northeast England. I want the shopkeep at the dry grocer to say something that implies that the village is self-policing, everyone knows everyone and anything underhanded will be known with a quickness. Is there a phrase or aphorism that implies this idea succinctly?
Not entirely sure if this falls inline with your question however; In the nineteenth century, before England had professional police, persons were hired to capture criminals and were known as THIEF TAKERS. One of the most well-known THIEF TAKERS was Jonathan Wild. He operated his own gang and handed over some of his own gang members, but eventually his secret was discovered and he was hanged for perjury in 1725. https://www.geriwalton.com/slang-euphemisms-and-terms-letter-t/
Many thanks, but no, that's not what I'm after. Not literal policing. I'm after a phrase that means "We're a tight knit bunch. Nothing happens that we don't know about."
I'm not sure there really is an idiomatic expression that means that. All I can think of right now is someone saying (in heavy warning undertones and a thick Cornish accent) "We looks after each other."
Firstly, thanks for humoring these questions the past few days. It's much appreciated. Let me ask the question from the other direction. Knowing Mr. Phelps is the Brit in this conversation: “Has the deliveryman been in contact?” Mr. Williams asked, moving the subject forward. “The deliveryman is my son. It’s a small village. We keep things close to home,” said Mr. Phelps. The story is told from the 3rd limited POV of Mr. Williams whose subsequent narrative will acknowledge the subtle warning from Mr. Phelps. My concern is - does Mr. Phelps' phrasing ring any alarm bells that sound too American?
I think "keeping things close to home" sounds okay, although I wonder if it would be used in that context in the 1800s (rather than in the literal sense). Do Americans use the phrase "close-knit community"? Now I think about it, the phrase "tight" could work, as in "It's a small village. We're tight here." "Tight" also has other meanings, though. It can also mean "stingy", so it could cause unintentional hilariity.
Yes, close-knit is well within the American lexicon. I like the possible double entendre with tight, though, and particularly since Mr. Williams is about to cough up a shiny guinea to ensure the delivery arrives as needed, when needed. Yes. I picture somewhere vaguely between Bamburgh and Durham. It's not mentioned specifically in the story, but instead through description of the landscape and especially the trees in the area.
One thing we are not known for in the North is subtlety. Subtlety is when you tell them before you headbutt them in the face. (I'm not from the North, I just live here)
Not sure whether it fits your time period, and it's not exactly what you're after, but "twitching curtains" refers to areas where the inhabitants will keep a discrete eye on what's going on around where they live.
I think if I had to include something along the lines, I'd have one local - likely the one with the most "authority" in their presence - allude to the possible consequences of failing to adhere the local policing/rules/customs. Here, I've quickly watched some scenes from The Wicker Man because isn't that /precisely/ what you want to express? "We don't get too many visitors around here." "Don't cross lines here, stranger." "There's no criminals around here." "Keep in line around here or we'll keep you in line." "Village doesn't take kindly to strangers." "It's not the coppers you should fear around here." "You speak like we hadn't dealt with your kind before."
"in little dribbling, we look after our own, know what i mean, son" the shopkeeper placed a callused hand on bill bobs chest and pushed "so you can keep your yankee nose out, see"
Totally unrelated, but this makes me think of the creepy inbred family from the X-files, of which, the local sheriff tells Mulder and Scully, "They breed their own stock." I'm guessing Wrey is looking for an expression like that. Why not make one up? People make their own shit up all the time... I have a bartender who's famous for it. He says shit that you'd swear was a classic idiom all the time. Nope... it just popped into his dome.
In modern times, there are 'community watch' or 'neighbourhood watch' organisations that are just neighbours keeping an eye on each other's welfare and each other's property. In a small village this more or less happens on its own, but there can be groups that agree to do this within cities as well. It can be as organised as having actual scheduled patrols, or simply agreeing to report or investigate anything suspicious, or knock doors of neighbours who haven't been seen recently ...or in the case of one highland village I visit often ...investigating a house around midday if the curtains weren't opened in the morning! (And yeah, that can be an indication of trouble. In that village, over the past few years, there has been once instance of an actual death being spotted that way, and another where the householder had a stroke and was still alive—and survived, thanks to the vigilance of the neighbours.) I know some people might think this sort of thing is terribly intrusive, but I find it very comforting. To know that if something goes wrong, somebody will notice and take action quickly.
"The watch looks after us." Definition for "the watch : A watchman or group of watchmen who patrolled and guarded the streets of a town before the introduction of the police force."
You might want to make reference to “Twitching curtains”, “Local busybodies”, and for the parts of the North I’m from (Yorkshire) “Nosy buggers.” Also, for someone talking about the local gossipers, in a Yorkshire vein: “If thy keeps thee’sen to thee’sen, thy’ll be rayt. Stick thee nose where it i’n’t wanted, thy’s liable to gerrit cut off, sithee.”
