To hear rumors about something; to obtain early information about something that is likely to happen

The Public Administration employees must have got wind of drastic changes because a great many of them are applying for early retirement

I dipendenti statali devono aver fiutato aria di drastici cambiamenti perché moltissimi stanno facendo richiesta di pre-pensionamento

The traders on the floor of the Stock Exchange must have got wind of something because, all of a sudden, they are all buying stocks in French companies

Gli operatori di borsa devono aver avuto sentore di qualcosa perché improvvisamente stanno tutti comperando titoli di società francesi

It was just hearsay, but it was a very spicy rumor; the press got wind of the story and ran with it

Era solo un sentito dire, ma era una storia molto ghiotta e non appena la stampa ne ha avuto sentore, l'ha pubblicata

This phrase derives from the olfactory ability of animals to detect the airborne scent of other animals