grapevine

hear (something) on the grapevine

To hear or learn of something through an informal means of communication, especially gossip. I heard on the grapevine that Stacy and Mark are getting a divorce. A: "How do you know the company is going bust?" B: "I heard it on the grapevine." Because my mom's heard horror stories on the grapevine, she's terrified of me living in the city by myself.

See also: grapevine, hear, on

hear (something) through the grapevine

To hear or learn of something through an informal means of communication, especially gossip. I heard through the grapevine that Stacy and Mark are getting a divorce. A: "How do you know the company is going bust?" B: "I heard it through the grapevine." Because my mom's heard horror stories through the grapevine, she's terrified of me living in the city by myself.

See also: grapevine, hear, through

on the grapevine

Through or via an informal means of communication or information, especially gossip. There is always some absurd rumor or piece of misinformation on the grapevine at work, but I try to just tune most of that out. I heard on the grapevine that John is planning to propose to Samantha next week!

See also: grapevine, on

through the grapevine

Through or via an informal means of communication or information, especially gossip. There is always some absurd rumor or piece of misinformation through the grapevine at work, but I try to just tune most of that out. I heard through the grapevine that John is planning to propose to Samantha next week!

See also: grapevine, through

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

hear something through the grapevine

or

hear something on the grapevine

BRITISH

COMMON If you hear a piece of news through the grapevine or hear it on the grapevine, you are told it informally by someone who was told it by someone else. I heard through the grapevine that she was looking for work. She heard on the grapevine that he had come back to London. Note: One of the early telegraph systems in America was given the nickname `the grapevine telegraph' because the wires often became tangled, so that they reminded people of grapevines. During the American Civil War, the telegraph system was used to communicate propaganda and false information, as well as real news about the progress of battles, so that anything heard on the `grapevine' was likely to be unreliable.

See also: grapevine, hear, something, through

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

hear something on the grapevine

acquire information by rumour or by unofficial communication.

This phrase comes originally from an American Civil War expression, when news was said to be passed ‘by grapevine telegraph’. Compare with bush telegraph (at telegraph).

See also: grapevine, hear, on, something

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

on/through the ˈgrapevine

by talking in an informal way to other people: I heard on the grapevine that you’re leaving.

See also: grapevine, on, through

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

grapevine

n. an informal communications network. I heard on the grapevine that Sam is moving to the east.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.