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- take a hint
take a hint
take a hint
to understand a hint and behave accordingly. I said I didn't want to see you anymore. Can't you take a hint? I don't like you. Sure I can take a hint, but I'd rather be told directly.
take a hint
also take the hint to understand or do something that is communicated indirectly I can take a hint – if you don't want to talk about it, that's OK with me. “Weren't you going to check your messages?” she asked. I took the hint and left.
take a hint
Also, take the hint. Accept an indirect or covert suggestion, as in Evelyn took the hint and quietly left the room. This idiom was first recorded in 1711.