word-of-mouth 復習

Bird lovers hit jackpot with 1st Japan sighting of U.S. warbler

The online posting of the photo, as well as word-of-mouth, generated huge interest in the common yellowthroat. Lines of photographers are often seen near the Hinuma wetland as they patiently wait for the chance to capture a stunning image.

One elderly man from Tokyo who had waited from before dawn said, "I had my camera ready from the morning, and I was able to click the shutter when the bird made an appearance for just a second."

Takashi Hiraoka, a specialist in the Division of Natural History at the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, said, "It seems very likely that the bird caught the winds blowing to Japan and arrived here without mishap, as there appear to be no scratches on its feathers."

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201704010037.html

　word-of-mouthという表現に注目しました。Oxford Dictionary of English (Second Edition Reserved, Oxford University Press)によると、 “spoken communication as a means of transmitting information”と定義されております。
　『ジーニアス英和辞典』（第五版，大修館）で調べたところ、 “by word of mouth”のかたちで「口頭の，口述で，口コミの」と載っておりました。この記事では文脈から、「口コミ」という意味で使用されていると思います。
　ちなみに “by word of mouth”以外にも “through word of mouth”という使い方もできるようです。また似たような意味合いで “through grapevine”という表現もございます。grapevineには「情報のルート，口コミ」などの意味があります。（Gomez）

word of mouth - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から

word of mouth - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から