get the word out

米ウィスコンシン州で起きた警官による射殺事件をめぐり, 現地では市民による大規模な暴動が発生しました。事件の詳細は明らかにされていませんが, 一部では「人種問題」が関わっていたのではないかという見解が示されています。

Violence Erupts in Milwaukee After Police Fatally Shoot Man

Violence erupted in Milwaukee Saturday night after a police officer shot and killed a 23-year-old man, whom police say was armed.

Protesters filled the streets in the neighborhood where the shooting happened, and were met by riot gear-wearing police. According to police, between 200 and 800 people filled the streets. Three people were arrested police said late Saturday night.

According to Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, things got "out of hand" as people started to use Facebook to get the word out to congregate near the scene of the crime.

Then, the scene quickly became violent and chaotic: Protesters set four businesses and several police cars on fire, hurled bricks through police car windows, threw rocks at police and vandalized bus shelters and street lights. Some social media users posted videos of what appeared to be individuals looting a small grocery store.

以下省略

http://abcnews.go.com/US/violence-erupts-milwaukee-police-fatally-shoot-man/story?id=41368742

本日取り上げる表現は “get the word out” です。

『新英和大辞典』(第五版, 研究社)で調べると, “get out” で「<秘密・ニュースなどが>漏れる, 知れる」とあり, “The secret got out.” という例が挙げられていました。同様の意味を示す “go public” 「(秘密などを)公表する」と比較すると, “get out” は何らかに不利益をもたらす場面で用いられるという印象を受けました。

Merriam-Webster.comには “to become known: leak out” と定義されています。

以上より, 今回の “get the word out” は, SNSによって現場の様子がたちまち広まり, 暴動が激化する原因となったことがわかります。(Cayu)