Possible Clues:

• ''__ that!'' (eavesdropper's remark)
• ''Rumor has it . . .''
• Lead-in to a bit of gossip
• "That ain't the way ___ it"
• "Word is ..."
• 'It has come to my attention ...'
• 'Someone told me ...'
• "My sources told me . . ."
• '-- It Through the Grapevine'
• ''Word is . . .''