subtle hint
Gentle oblique signal
A subtle hint is an indirect suggestion or clue delivered with enough delicacy that it might go unnoticed: She made subtle hints about wanting to leave, but he kept talking.
The phrase often appears ironically when someone's "hint" is anything but subtle: He dropped a subtle hint by leaving the engagement ring catalog open on the table.
- nudgeGentle push to prompt
- whisperSpeech without full voice
- sotto voceIn an undertone
- insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion
- cueTrigger for action
gentle nudge · suggestion · word to the wise · clue · tip off · implication · wink · raised eyebrow · gesture · undertone · innuendo · trace · flicker · glance · meaningful glance · nod · knowing look · allusion
- hintsclue, tip, nudge, cue, pointer
- innuendoinnuendo, sexual innuendo, double entendre, double meaning, implied meaning
- subtexthidden meaning, implied meaning, veiled meaning, subtext, innuendo
- undertonesundertone, connotation, nuance, implication, subtext
- nudgesnudge, nudging, prod, poke, prompt
- cryptic puzzlesriddle, cipher, code, cryptogram, enigma