get wind of (something)
(redirected from gotten wind of)get wind of (something)
To become aware of something, especially something being kept secret, through indirect means. If Mom gets wind of this prank we're planning, we'll be grounded for the rest of the summer. If the press gets wind of this, the campaign will be over.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
get wind of something
and catch wind of somethingFig. to learn of something; to hear about something. The police got wind of the illegal drug deal. John caught wind of the gossip being spread about him.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
get wind of
Learn of; hear a rumor about. For example, "If my old aunt gets wind of it, she'll cut me off with a shilling" (William Makepeace Thackeray, in Paris Sketch Book, 1840). This expression alludes to an animal perceiving a scent carried by the wind. [First half of 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
get wind of something
COMMON If you get wind of something such as a plan or information, you find out about it, often when other people did not want you to. Singapore authorities got wind of the plot. The local press recently got wind of the story, and published an article about it. Note: You can also say that you catch wind of something. It wasn't long before Hollywood had caught wind of the story. Note: This expression refers to animals being able to smell hunters or other animals when they are some way off, because the smell is carried to them on the wind.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
get wind of
begin to suspect that something is happening; hear a rumour of. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
get ˈwind of something
(informal) hear about something secret or private: A journalist got wind of a story about the nuclear research centre.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017