hear through the grapevine

Etymology
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.

Verb

 * 1)  To hear rumors; to learn through hearsay.
 * I heard through the grapevine that she likes him.
 * I heard through the grapevine that she likes him.

Translations

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