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美语词汇掌故
第 53 课:By the Grapevine: What? Who Told You That?-1

Some of the most exciting information comes by way of the grapevine .

That is so because reports received through the grapevine are supposed to be secret.

The information is all hush hush . It is whispered into your ear with the understanding that you will not pass it on to others.

You feel honored and excited. You are one of the special few to get this information.

You cannot wait. You must quickly find other ears to pour the information into.

And so, the information - secret as it is – begins to spread. Nobody knows how far.

The expression by the grapevine is more than one hundred years old.

The American inventor, Samuel F. Morse, is largely responsible for the birth of the expression.