On Mar 8, 2009, at 5:15 AM, rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> So, I just watched an episode, and throughout, they mentioned ¨The
> Horsemen¨
> as in ¨I´m working with the Horsemen and thay want this guy real bad.¨
>
> The Horsemen = The RMCP = The Mounties?
Yep, but I've only come across it in Canadian crime fiction. The first
time was in Howard Engel's THE SUICIDE MURDERS, I think, back in the
eighties.
Maybe it's commonly used in the ROC (rest of Canada), but I'd
certainly never come across it in Quebec. Then again, Quebec has its
own police force, the Surete, so the Mounties don't have as large a
presence there. Maybe it's more common out west or east, particularly
in smaller towns, where often the only police presence is the RCMP.
I think it's one of those expressions that seem to exist mostly in
crime fiction and among crime fiction fans. I mean, when was the last
time you heard "shamus" in real life?
By the way, I always thought CEREMONIES OF THE HORSEMEN would make a
nifty title for a book about someone going after some crooked
Mounties. It's from a Dylan song, and the next line is "Even a pawn
must bear a grudge." For some reason, it just sounds like a plot
synopsis to me...
Kevin Burton Smith
www.thrillingdetective.com
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