glean
GLEENverbMeaning to gather information bit by bit
Memory hook GLEAN = CLEAN UP every last bit. After the harvest, Nana Lou walks the field and picks up every last stalk the reapers missed. In the same way, a careful reader can glean facts bit by bit.
From the muddy paw prints, Lila gleaned that the dog had been in the garden.
In context The reporter could not interview the mayor, so she gleaned what she could from old speeches, news clips and a few chats with neighbors.
Similar gather, collect, pick up, piece together
From Old French glener, “to gather grain left behind after the harvest”; the sense of gathering facts came later.