a little bird told me

a little bird told me

A phrase used when one does not want to reveal the source of the information that one is about to share or has shared. A: "Did you hear that Mark is planning to propose to Sarah soon?" B: "Yes, a little bird told me."
See also: bird, little, told
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

little bird told me

Fig. a way of indicating that you do not want to reveal who told you something. (Sometimes used playfully, when you think that the person you are addressing knows or can guess who was the source of your information.) Jill: Thank you for the beautiful present! How did you know I wanted a green silk scarf? Jane: A little bird told me. Bill: How did you find out it was my birthday? Jane: A little bird told me.
See also: bird, little, told
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

little bird told one, a

A source one cannot or will not identify gave this information, as in How did you learn they were getting a divorce?-Oh, a little bird told me. Versions of this idiom date from ancient times and appear in numerous proverb collections.
See also: bird, little, told
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a little bird told me

OLD-FASHIONED
If you say a little bird told me a piece of information, you mean that you will not tell someone how you found out about it or who told it to you. Incidentally, a little bird tells me that your birthday's coming up.
See also: bird, little, told
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a little bird told me

used as a teasing way of saying that you do not intend to divulge how you came to know something.
See also: bird, little, told
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a little ˈbird told me (that...)

(spoken) I have heard about something but I do not want to say who told me: A little bird told me you might be applying for another job. Is that true? ‘How did you know I was getting married?’ ‘Oh, a little bird told me.’
See also: bird, little, told
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

little bird told me, a

I have information from a secret source. A version of this saying appears in John Heywood’s 1546 proverb collection, and another a few decades later in Brian Melbancke’s Philotimus (“I had a little bird that brought me news of it”). It is still widely used by journalists protecting their sources of information.
See also: bird, little, told
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • cooking for one
  • drive (one) out of office
  • force (one) out of office
  • force out of office
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give somebody their head
  • give someone their head
  • 1FTR
  • as one door closes, another one opens