be the talk of the town

To be a person or topic that many people are currently talking about in a certain area (typically a small town), most often due to their involvement in some recent event. My brother was the talk of the town after leading the team to a state championship. How did you not hear about the fire at city hall last night? It's the talk of the town! Dad likes to remind us of the time he rescued those kids from the lake and was, however briefly, the talk of the town.

the talk of the town

A person or topic that many people are currently talking about in a certain area, typically due to recent eventfulness. My brother was the talk of the town after leading the high school team to a state championship. How did you not hear about the fire at city hall last night? It's the talk of the town!

be the talk of something

(informal) be something that everyone is interested in and talking about: His collection is the talk of the Milan fashion shows. ♢ Overnight, she became the talk of the town (= famous).