Closely knit
Today’s expression is closely-knit. Knit is k-n-i-t. It’s a verb we use when talking about creating clothes from yarn. You can knit a sweater, knit a warm hat for winter weather, knit a pair of socks, things like that. Picture a grandma and two big needles and a big ball of yarn—that’s a stereotype but not far off the truth! Today, we mostly buy clothes made in stores, but it’s still traditional to knit clothing or a blanket for a newborn in the family.
In this expression though, closely-knit, we mean that there are close ties between two people or two groups of people. Some of you may come from closely-knit families. If that’s you, then you have close relationships with your family and extended family. You do holidays together, but you probably all live in the same region. Cousins are constantly sleeping over. Parents share babysitting duties. Everyone gets together for meals regularly. Parties are common. Something is always going on. The family is closely-knit.
That’s not how it is for everyone. I think in general, you’ll find more closely-knit families in Latin America, whereas in Europe and the US, our family relationships are not quite as closely-knit. They’re still good, but not quite as closely-knit.
We can use this expression for more than families. Think about a small town that has a lot of hometown pride. You could say the community is closely-knit. Neighbors know one another. Parents participate in school activities. People volunteer to get things done. Business owners know their customers. There are close friendships and relationships in the community. When people need help, others pitch in. Younger people check in on the elderly; the elderly offer sage advice. When someone falls on hard times, others are there to lend a hand. That’s a closely-knit community.
Smaller towns can be described as closely-knit. But not every small town is like that. In some small towns, people keep to themselves . Or maybe a small town on the outskirts of a city, everyone’s attention is on the big city, not their town. If a town is closely-knit, most people’s attention is on their own community and that’s where relationships and ties are the strongest.
You might describe a church congregation as closely-knit, if the members of the church have strong personal ties to one another. This is less common, but you can describe a group of friends as closely-knit. You would not typically use this to describe a company or coworkers because it really does imply personal ties. However, I can imagine someone at a small business or family business saying they have a closely-knit group of coworkers.
Earlier today, I said that border towns along the US-Canadian border are often closely-knit . There are border towns that are not closely-knit. I’ll give you an example: San Diego and Tijuana share a border, but both are big cities in their respective countries. Yes, many people cross the borders each day. But the two cities are really big, and they’re different enough, and the border controls are quite a bit stronger. So I would not describe those two big cities as closely-knit.
But a small Vermont town and a small Quebec town are closely-knit. The border runs right down the middle of a peaceful street. The public library is half in one country and half in another. It’s common for families to have members on both sides of the border. Cross-border weddings happen all the time. The border is real and the residents respect it, but crossing is an everyday occurrence. The ties are close.
The culture of small towns in that region also contributes to a feeling of a closely-knit community. In the early days of American history, the towns in New England states had a form of government called a town meeting. They made decisions together as a community. Some towns still have that tradition; most have matured a bit. But the civic-mindedness endures.
Small towns in the west of the US are a bit different. The ethos there is more of individual liberty and freedom and privacy. This is obviously a generality, but in my experience, you’ll find more closely-knit small towns in the northeast than you will in the west, due to the history and culture of each region.
Quote of the Week
Today’s quote of the week is by the writer Deborah Stone. She’s the author of a new book called “Counting: How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters.” Part of the book is about what we use numbers and data for in the modern age, and it questions whether we use data and numbers too much. Here’s the quote: “To count well, we need to have the humility to know what can’t, or shouldn’t, be counted.”
I thought of that when I was thinking about Hyder, Alaska. There are of course solid, data-backed reasons to close the US-Canadian border. But sometimes focusing too much on numbers means you lose sight of things that just can’t be quantified. You can count cases and deaths on both sides of our national border, but can you really count or quantify the risk of a tiny town of 78 people next to a tiny town of 400? And how much safer is the world, really, that those 78 people are isolated from all the rest of humanity?
Just because a number or statistic or metric exists, doesn’t mean you need to listen to that number, or make decisions based on it. I firmly believe that. So here’s today’s quote once more, from the writer Deborah Stone: “To count well, we need to have the humility to know what can’t, or shouldn’t, be counted.”
See you next time!
And that’s all for today’s lesson. Remember to check out the rest of the full lesson online. The transcripts are there. If you liked the main lesson topic, you’ll find links to articles about the two border towns we talked about. And if you’re a Plain English Plus+ member, you’ll find translations, our video lesson, flash cards, and exercises, all at PlainEnglish.com/358. Check it out, and we’ll be back here on Thursday. See you then!
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