glean from

glean from (something)

1. To take that which has been left behind, usually grain remaining after a harvest. A noun or pronoun can be used between "glean" and "from." How much grain were you able to glean from the fields today?
2. To learn something from a particular source, often secondhand or piecemeal. A noun or pronoun can be used between "glean" and "from." I missed the meeting yesterday, so tell me what you were able to glean from his presentation. What have you been able to glean from the rumors going around?
See also: glean
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

glean something from something

 
1. Lit. to gather the leftovers of something from something; to gather the ears of grain left in a field after a harvest. The poor people gleaned their entire living from what was left in the fields. We will have to go out and glean something from the fields.
2. and glean something from someone Fig. to figure something out from bits of gossip. I was able to glean some important news from Tommy. Tell me the news you gleaned from the people in town.
See also: glean
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

glean from

v.
1. To learn something or figure something out using some information gathered bit by bit: We were able to glean information about their past from the conversation we overheard. I gleaned from these various articles that there was serious trouble brewing in the government.
2. To gather grain left behind by reapers: The farmers have gleaned their final harvests from their fields of wheat.
See also: glean
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • angle
  • angling
  • not do (someone or oneself) any favors
  • involve with
  • involve with (someone or something)
  • involved with
  • arrange for
  • arrange for some time
  • arrange some music for
  • ask back
References in periodicals archive
Some learnings that counselors can glean from past wars include helping students grieve the loss of family and friends who have served in the military during wartimes (World War II); allowing adolescents to be heard as citizens (Vietnam War); and recognizing that even brief, successful wars create anxiety and fear for those who have never experienced wartime firsthand (Persian Gulf War).
Counseling adolescent students affected by the war in Iraq: using history as a guide
Ruth asks Naomi if she may go into the fields and glean from the ears of grain (2:2).
Bitterness and friendship: a feminist exegesis of the Book of Ruth
The message you send to Black America is that we don't have enough writers to put on the cover of a magazine about books--we have to glean from a greater pool of actors, musicians and celebrities.
Cover comment
Casati breaks down , the mystery of shadows in an effort to reconcile their mystique with the scope of the knowledge that scientists can glean from them.
The Shadow Club: The Greatest Mystery in the Universe--Shadows--and the Thinkers Who Unlocked Their Secrets
They must survive on hoarded food and what they can glean from the snowscape.
Cold hamsters: wild species boosts immunity for winter
Finally, she points out, decide in advance how you will use the information you glean from this.
Playing "dress-up". (Editor's Notebook)