taking a hint
Reading the room
Taking a hint is recognizing and responding to an indirect suggestion or signal.
When someone drops hints rather than stating something directly, taking the hint means you understand what's implied and act accordingly: He kept checking his watch, so I took the hint and left.
Not taking the hint suggests social obliviousness or deliberate refusal to acknowledge what someone clearly wants.
- getObtain or become
- catching onBeginning to understand
- winkBrief one-eyed closure
- cueTrigger for action
- dropFall or release
suggestion · subtext · between the lines · nudge · inference · reading the room · attunement · situational awareness · deduction · pragmatics · perception · context clues · body language · empathy · intuition · self-awareness · social cues · nonverbal cues
taking, hint, take, taken, takeover, intake, undertake, undertaking, hints