town talk

[toun tawk for 1; toun tawk for 2]

noun

the usual talk, gossip, or rumors, as in a village or town.
the subject of gossip, rumor, or the like: They've been the town talk ever since their elopement.

Origin of town talk

First recorded in 1535–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for town talk

Historical Examples of town talk

It was many a day before the midnight bombardment ceased to be the town-talk.
The Story of a Bad Boy
Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Meanwhile, David heard the town-talk, and took small account of it.
The History of David Grieve
Mrs. Humphry Ward
It is strange when people of substance want a servant, how soon it is the town-talk.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D., in Nine Volumes, Volume the Second
Samuel Johnson
But before this, a remarkable event occurred, affording still greater food for town-talk and gossip generally.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862
Various
All this will be the display, and the town-talk, when our regicide is on a visit of ceremony.
Selections from the Speeches and Writings of Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke