nodding acquaintance

idiom

Meaning

A casual or partial familiarity; a relationship which is not close or fully developed; an inexact understanding (of something).

Examples

SIMPLE

I have a nodding acquaintance with my neighbor.

CONTEXTUAL

I have a nodding acquaintance with the software, but I am not an expert yet.

COMPLEX

Although he possessed a nodding acquaintance with the local customs, he remained largely an outsider to the community.

Anchors to