cottoning on
Starting to comprehend
Cottoning on is the process of catching on, grasping something, or beginning to understand.
Chiefly British: It took me a while, but I'm finally cottoning on to what you mean.
The phrase comes from cotton in the sense of fibers that cling together—ideas that "cotton" are ones that stick.
- catching onBeginning to understand
- comprehendingMentally taking in meaning
- graspingGreedy for wealth
- picking up onBecoming aware of
- seeing the lightMoment of comprehension
getting the picture · latching onto · penny dropping · tuning in · recognizing · realizing · perceiving · putting two and two together · clicking · twigging · discerning · deducing · reading the room · inferring · noticing · figuring out · wising up · coming around
- understandingunderstand, comprehend, grasp, fathom, follow
comprehension/understanding
cottoning onmissing the point
Failing to understand essence
drawing a blank · misunderstanding · tuning out · zoning out