He said he was working late, nudge nudge wink wink.
nudge nudge wink wink
idiomA phrase used to hint that the speaker is euphemistically referring to something else.
Origin
disputed originSuggests that the speaker is nudging, and winking at, the person to whom the term is directed. Popularized by the Monty Python sketch "Candid Photography" (better known as Nudge Nudge).
When he mentioned his secret meeting at the hotel, he added a nudge nudge wink wink to imply it was actually a date.
The politician alluded to the private nature of the agreement with a nudge nudge wink wink, leaving the audience to infer the true, less professional purpose of the trip.
- 01
in the wink of an eye
instantaneously, extremely quickly
- 02
sleep a wink
To sleep at all.
- 03
tip the wink
To give (somebody) a hint or suggestion, as if by a wink; to ask or tell surreptitiously.
- 04
wink at
To turn a blind eye to (something); to corruptly ignore (some wrongdoing); to pretend not to have seen (something); to signal one's approval of (illicit activities) while maintaining the ability to plausibly deny knowing about it; to tolerate or tacitly encourage (inappropriate, immoral or illegal behavior).