a little bird told me

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Strana kategorija

Engleski

Sistem

en+ng=eng

Šablon:was wotd/link

Etimologija {{{2}}}

Etimologija je nepoznata; u engleskim izvorima, reference na ptice koje prenose informacije ljudima datiraju najmanje iz 16. veka (pogledajte citat iz 1546.), a u drugim jezicima čak i ranije. Na primer, Propovednik 10:20 u Bibliji , čija originalna hebrejska verzija datira iz 450–180. PNE, kaže prema verziji kralja Džejmsa (pravopis je modernizovan): „Ne kuni kralja, ne u mislima svojim, i Ne proklinji bogataša u svojoj odaji za spavanje, jer ptica nebeska nosi glas, a ona koja ima krila govoriće stvar.”

Izgovor

• (RP) MFA^(ključ): /ə ˌlɪtl̩ bɜːd ˈtəʊld miː/
• (GA) MFA^(ključ): /ə ˌlɪt(ə)l bɜɹd ˈtoʊld mi/, [-ˌlɪɾ(ə)l-]

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Hifenacija: a lit‧tle bird told me

Phrase

a little bird told me

1. (idiomatic, chiefly humorous) I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose.

   Sinonimi: rumour has it, word has it

   Let’s just say I know because a little bird told me.

   • Šablon:RQ:John Heywood Proverbs
   • Šablon:RQ:Shakespeare Henry 4-2 Q1
   • Šablon:RQ:Sophia Lee Accidents
   • Šablon:RQ:Marryat Peter Simple
   • 1872 July, [George Webbe Dasent], “Three to One: Or Some Passages out of the Life of Amicia Lady Sweetapple. Chapter XLVIII. Lady Sweetapple Sees Lady Charity, and Hears Something of Edith Price.”, in M[ary] E[lizabeth] Braddon, editor, Belgravia: A London Magazine, volume VIII (Second Series; volume XVIII overall), London: Robson and Sons, […], →OCLC, page 104:

     ‘Is Harry Fortescue in love with Florry Carlton?’ asked Lady Charity. ‘A little bird told me he was as good as engaged to her.’

   • Šablon:RQ:E. Wallace Four Just Men
   • 2012, Anna Elliott, “Saturday 21 May 1814”, in Georgiana Darcy’s Diary: Jane Austen’s :Šablon:noitalic Continued, [U.S.A.]: Wilton Press, →ISBN, page 136:

     A little bird told me you were likely to be soon engaged—and to an earl's nephew […]

Usage notes

This phrase is often used more comically than seriously, especially when the source of the information is obvious to both parties but neither is willing to say, or because a custom calls for a pretence of secrecy or surprise.

Prevodi

Afrikans: [1] en ☞af Nemački: [1] 1 ☞de

Holandski: [1] 1 ☞nl Švedski: [1] 1 ☞sv

I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose

• Arapski: عُصْفُور صَغِير أَخْبَرَنِي (ʿuṣfūr ṣaḡīr ʾaḵbaranī)
• Basque: txori txiki batek esan zidan
• Bulgarian: ednó ptíčence mi káza (ednó ptíčence mi káza)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 私下聽說／私下听说

• Danish: høre en lille fugl synge om (literally “hear a little bird sing about”)
• Finnish: pikkulinnut lauloivat
• French: mon petit doigt m’a dit (fr) (literally “my little finger told me”)
• Georgian: ჩიტმა ამბავი მომიტანა (čiṭma ambavi momiṭana, literally “a little bird brought me the story”)
• German: ein Vöglein hat mir gezwitschert
• Greek: μου το 'πε ένα πουλάκι (mou to 'pe éna pouláki)
• Hebrew: ציפור קטנה לחשה לי (tsipor ktana lahasha li)
• Hungarian: a verebek csiripelték, a kismadarak csiripelték
• Icelandic: lítill fugl hvíslaði að mér, lítill fugl sagði mér
• Italian: un uccellino mi ha detto che ...
• Japanese: 小さな鳥が私に言った (chīsana tori ga watashi ni itta)
• Korean: 작은 새가 나에게 말했다. (jageun saega na'ege malhaetda.)
• Macedonian: edno vrapče mi kaža (edno vrapče mi kaža)
• Maltese: għasfur żgħir qali
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: en liten fugl hvisket meg i øret, en liten fugl sa det

• Polish: ptaszki o tym ćwierkają
• Portuguese: um passarinho me contou
• Russian: mné ptíčka našeptála (mné ptíčka našeptála), slúhom zemlя́ pólnitsя (slúxom zemljá pólnitsja, literally “the rumour fills the earth”), soróka na hvosté prineslá (ru) (soróka na xvosté prineslá, literally “a magpie brought it on its tail”)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: šapnula mi ptičica

  Roman: šapnula mi ptičica

• Spanish: un pajarito me dijo, un pajarito me lo contó
• Swedish: en liten fågel kvittrade i mitt öra
• Turkish: kuşlar söyledi
• Zazaki: mıriçıka va

See also

• hear through the grapevine

Further reading

• “bird”, in OED Online ⁠‎^[1], Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023 decembar.
• “a little bird told me, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.