Get wind of something 👂🌬️📦

Meaning

To learn about something secret or private, often by chance or through indirect information.

Origin

In the world of hunting, particularly with hounds, the ability to detect scent carried on the air was crucial for both predator and prey. A deer or fox might 'get wind' of a hunter's approach long before seeing them, their acute sense of smell picking up the subtle currents of scent. Conversely, a hunter's dog would 'get wind' of their quarry, tracking its scent on the breeze. This keen, sensory awareness of impending presence, carried by the wind, transitioned into a metaphor for humans to metaphorically 'smell out' or discover information, often secret or impending news, long before it became widely known.

Get wind of something represented with emoji👂🌬️📦

This playful arrangement invites us to consider the delightful moment when a whispered secret, or indeed any bit of news, flutters into our awareness like a breeze catching a dandelion seed. The ear eagerly awaits, the wind carries, and the box, perhaps our mind, receives this new information, underscoring the often-sudden and sometimes surprising ways we come to know things.

Examples

• The journalists got wind of the celebrity's secret wedding plans through a leaked photograph.
• If the competition gets wind of our new product launch, they might try to beat us to market.