# jungle telegraph

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/jungle-telegraph
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A system used by primitive cultures in remote tropical regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds or a relay of runners.

## Examples

- The news spread quickly through the jungle telegraph.
- Before modern technology arrived, the villagers relied on the jungle telegraph to send urgent messages between distant settlements.
- The explorers were amazed to discover that news of their arrival had preceded them, carried across the vast, dense forest by the rhythmic pulses of the jungle telegraph.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.