take the hint
Concede to mounting evidence; wake up and smell the coffee.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He keeps calling, but she refuses to take the hint.”
“I stopped replying to his messages, hoping he would finally take the hint and stop asking me out.”
“Despite the increasingly cold reception from his colleagues, he failed to take the hint that his presence was no longer welcome at the weekly meetings.”
- 01
be taken ill
To become ill.
- 02
cross to take up
Alternative form of cross to bear.
- 03
drop a hint
To reveal a clue or hint about something.
- 04
forget to take one's medication this morning
To be annoyed or irritable, or to behave in an ill-mannered way, particularly in the morning.
- 05
get taken in
To be fooled; to fall for.
- 06
give and take
A process of compromise or accommodation.
- 07
give someone an inch and someone will take a mile
Alternative form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile.
- 08
have one's name taken
To receive a yellow card.
Last updated August 10, 2026