hear through the grapevine

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From the Grapevine, a telegraph line that ran from Placerville, California, to Virginia City, Nevada, beginning in 1859, and that was loosely strung from trees so that it curled like the vines of California grapes. In 1861 it was replaced by the Pacific Telegraph, which was strung from poles, and during the American Civil War "grapevine telegraph" became proverbialized to refer to poor and rumor-prone communications in areas cut off by the war.

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: kuulla puskaradiosta — learn through rumors
• German: über die Buschtrommel hören — learn through rumors
• German: über die Buschtrommeln hören — learn through rumors
• German: durch die Buschtrommel hören — learn through rumors
• German: durch die Buschtrommeln hören — learn through rumors
• German: die Nachricht sprach sich herum — learn through rumors
• German: ich hab so was läuten hören — learn through rumors
• German: über die Urwaldtrommel hören — learn through rumors
• Icelandic: heyra á skotspónum — learn through rumors
• Icelandic: frétta á skotspónum — learn through rumors
• Icelandic: heyra á utan að sér — learn through rumors
• Icelandic: frétta á utan að sér — learn through rumors
• Spanish: enterarse por radio macuto — learn through rumors
• Spanish: oír decir — learn through rumors
• Swedish: höra via djungeltrumman — learn through rumors