hint

—hinter, n.

/hint/, n.

1. an indirect, covert, or helpful suggestion; clue: Give me a hint as to his identity.

2. a very slight or hardly noticeable amount; soupçon: a hint of garlic in the salad dressing.

3. perceived indication or suggestion; note; intimation: a hint of spring in the air.

4. Obs. an occasion or opportunity.

v.t.

5. to give a hint of: gray skies hinting a possible snowfall.

v.i.

6. to make indirect suggestion or allusion; subtly imply (usually fol. by at): The article hinted at corruption in the mayor's office.

[1595-1605; (n.) orig., opportunity, occasion, appar. var. of obs. hent grasp, act of seizing, deriv. of the v.: to grasp, take, ME henten, OE hentan; (v.) deriv. of the n.]

Syn. 1. allusion, insinuation, innuendo; memorandum, reminder; inkling. 5. imply. HINT, INTIMATE, INSINUATE, SUGGEST denote the conveying of an idea to the mind indirectly or without full or explicit statement. To HINT is to convey an idea covertly or indirectly, but intelligibly: to hint that one would like a certain present; to hint that bits of gossip might be true.

To INTIMATE is to give a barely perceptible hint, often with the purpose of influencing action: to intimate that something may be possible. To INSINUATE is to hint artfully, often at what one would not dare to say directly: to insinuate something against someone's reputation. SUGGEST denotes particularly recalling something to the mind or starting a new train of thought by means of association of ideas: The name doesn't suggest anything to me.

Ant. 5. express, declare.

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