bush telegraph

plural bush telegraphs · alternative bush-telegraph

1. idiomaticA system used by undeveloped societies in remote regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds, word-of-mouth relay, or smoke signals.

   1 more example

   When I was born, family and friends came from all over, thanks to the bush telegraph. There were very few telephones where I grew up, so my father mentioned my birth to someone at the market. And that woman told a man who was delivering rice to a place up the road. He told someone there, who was taking a herd of cattle south, toward the villages. And pretty soon the news of my birth had spread far and wide.

   2007, "From Sudan to supermodel stardom," msnbc.com, 28 Aug. (retrieved 19 Sep. 2008)

   Synonyms: jungle telegraph

2. idiomaticA gossip network.

   I suppose you've received information, by bush-telegraph, that that third assistant understrapper and ex-sailorman at Tulagi is going to deport me as an undesirable immigrant.

   1911, Jack London, chapter 9, in Adventure

   Synonyms: jungle telegraph, grapevine, rumor mill