1
general::
Phrase(s): get wind of something [and] catch wind of something
Fig. to learn of something; to hear about something. • The police got wind of the illegal drug deal. • John caught wind of the gossip being spread about him.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Learn of; hear a rumor about. For example, "If my old aunt gets wind of it, she'll cut me off with a shilling" (William Makepeace Thackeray, in Paris Sketch Book, 1840). This expression alludes to an animal perceiving a scent carried by the wind. [First half of 1800s]
American Heritage Idioms