rumor mill
7
4.5
- noun
- /ˈrumər mɪl/
- Informal
:
rumorología
- After the announcement, the office's rumor mill began speculating about potential layoffs.
- the rumor mill churns
- fueling the rumor mill
- the rumor mill goes
And remember, the rumor mill has it that this is the fight ET and stuff like that, who clearly had no idea what we were talking about.
- And remember, the rumor mill has it that this is the fight ET and stuff like that, who clearly had no idea what we were talking about.
- If only we could we could hook up rumor mills to some form of sustainable energy.
- And I mean, yeah, it's hard to describe that The guys in the community, they really have a lot of, you know, this type of stuff, like the rumor mill is a real thing.
Examples
-
Sure, once upon a time, the workplace rumor mill was abound regarding speculation about the nature of our friendship.
Blog text (21) -
There had been much buzz within the rumor mill regarding the potential acquisition of the 26-year-old.
Blog text (26) -
So it started a rumor mill that Steve Jobs was dying of cancer.
-
Nothing like a missing girl and a club to get the urban rumor mill going.
Blog text (11) -
However, many institutions are rumor mills.
Academic text (2003) -
So the old office rumor mill is working overtime again.
-
I also feel the rumor mill is absolutely key to the health and survival of the sport in general.
Blog text (28) -
From the day I arrived, the rumor mill had me packing my bags.
-
My daily whereabouts, from what I heard, were grist for the rumor mill.
Blog text (6) -
Since then, the rumor mill has been buzzing with unnamed sources saying that Warners is pushing to make one.
Blog text (5)
Synonyms
27
7.8
Rumors people tell each other about events or people
27
3.5
Rumor spread by people talking rather than by officials
2
7.4
Organized effort to spread secret bad rumors to make people think badly of someone
An informal way people pass news and rumors by talking
A place or group where people spread gossip quickly
How Influential
1
3.8
- Literature
188
3.7
- Informal
7
4.5
- Informal
184
1.1
318
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'a source or system that produces and spreads gossip' is partially derivable from combining 'rumor' with the metaphorical idea of a 'mill' as a place that produces things, so learners can often infer an approximate meaning. However, the mapping is figurative and idiomatic (mill used metaphorically for production/dissemination), so the exact social-network/distribution nuance may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase rumor mill may come from the image of a busy mill that keeps turning and making more and more flour, and a rumor is like the small thing that comes out and spreads quickly. So, rumor mill means 'a group or network that spreads gossip or unverified information'.