third hand

noun, adj — 4 senses

noun

A tool used to squeeze caliper brakes against the rim of a wheel, as on a bicycle, thereby allowing adjustments to the brake cable.

A source two steps removed from direct communication.

adj

Having been relayed by two intermediate sources.

I heard the story from someone who got it from the horse's mouth. You're getting it third hand.
So I have to find out my child is alive third-hand from the Alliance brass? Where the hell have you been?2010, BioWare, quoting Mom, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: You're alive???:

Idiomatic Not new, having more than one previous owner.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.