Meaning
To hear about something secret or not yet public, usually indirectly and before it is announced. Typically said of rumors, plans or news that someone hoped to keep quiet; the register is informal and slightly conspiratorial, common in journalism and everyday gossip. Informal and slightly conspiratorial; a staple of reporting idiom for leaks and rumors. Regional use: General English.
Origin
Etymonline dates get wind of, meaning to receive information about something, to 1809, adding only that it was 'perhaps inspired by French avoir le vent de'. The image behind it, of scent or rumor carried on the breeze to anyone positioned to catch it, much as hounds or deer scent danger on the wind, fits the sense of learning something indirectly, but that derivation is inference; even the possible French model is hedged in the source. What is documented is the date and the meaning: by 1809 English speakers were already wind-ing news, and catch wind of and have wind of arose alongside as companion forms. No source I found claims an earlier first record or a firmer derivation.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- catch wind of
- get wind of something
- got wind of
- have wind of
Usage Examples
- Journalists got wind of the merger before the board had signed anything.
- If the neighbors get wind of the surprise party, the whole plan collapses.
- Investors caught wind of the recall overnight, and the stock opened sharply lower.