| 释义 |
little bird told me, a a little bird told meA phrase used when one does not want to reveal the source of the information that one is about to share or has shared. A: "Did you hear that Mark is planning to propose to Sarah soon?" B: "Yes, a little bird told me."See also: bird, little, toldlittle bird told meFig. a way of indicating that you do not want to reveal who told you something. (Sometimes used playfully, when you think that the person you are addressing knows or can guess who was the source of your information.) Jill: Thank you for the beautiful present! How did you know I wanted a green silk scarf? Jane: A little bird told me. Bill: How did you find out it was my birthday? Jane: A little bird told me.See also: bird, little, tolda little bird told me OLD-FASHIONEDIf you say a little bird told me a piece of information, you mean that you will not tell someone how you found out about it or who told it to you. Incidentally, a little bird tells me that your birthday's coming up.See also: bird, little, tolda little bird told me used as a teasing way of saying that you do not intend to divulge how you came to know something.See also: bird, little, tolda little ˈbird told me (that...) (spoken) I have heard about something but I do not want to say who told me: A little bird told me you might be applying for another job. Is that true? ♢ ‘How did you know I was getting married?’ ‘Oh, a little bird told me.’See also: bird, little, toldlittle bird told me, aI have information from a secret source. A version of this saying appears in John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection, and another a few decades later in Brian Melbancke’s Philotimus (“I had a little bird that brought me news of it”). It is still widely used by journalists protecting their sources of information.See also: bird, little, told |