nudge nudge wink wink
A phrase used to hint that the speaker is euphemistically referring to something else.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He said he was working late, nudge nudge wink wink.”
“They are going for a long walk, nudge nudge wink wink.”
“He is visiting his cousin in Paris, nudge nudge wink wink.”
“When he mentioned his secret meeting at the hotel, he added a nudge nudge wink wink to imply it was actually a date.”
“She says they are just friends, nudge nudge wink wink, but they spend every single weekend together at his beach house.”
“My boss told me he needs a special favor for his brother's business, nudge nudge wink wink, and I should ignore the usual rules.”
“The salesman told me the car had a very interesting history, nudge nudge wink wink, while looking at the dent in the door.”
“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.”
Suggests 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).
- 01
forty winks
A short sleep, an extra sleep, a nap.
- 02
in the wink of an eye
instantaneously, extremely quickly
- 03
sleep a wink
To sleep at all.
- 04
tip the wink
To give (somebody) a hint or suggestion, as if by a wink; to ask or tell surreptitiously.
- 05
twenty winks
A very short sleep, half as long as forty winks.
- 06
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).
Last updated August 10, 2026