putting out feelers
Gauging potential interest
Putting out feelers means making cautious, informal inquiries to gauge interest or reaction before committing to a course of action.
The expression draws on the image of an insect's antennae, which sense the environment before the creature proceeds.
Someone putting out feelers about a job change, for instance, is discreetly exploring possibilities without making their intentions widely known.
She's putting out feelers to see if anyone's interested in buying the business.
- trial balloonPreliminary test of opinion
- test the watersAssess before fully committing
- testing the watersPreliminary assessment of reception
- probeThorough examination or tool
- investigateSeek facts systematically
get a read on · hint · sound out · fishing expedition · suggest · inquire · soft inquiry · back channel · explore · non-verbal cues · experiment · scout · survey · examine · ouster · research · inspect · risk analysis
putting out feelerstaking the plunge
Committing to something risky
going all in · burning bridges · pulling the trigger · locking in · betting the farm
putting, outing, outer, outward, outermost, feels, feeler, feelers, feeling