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general::
Phrase(s): take a hint
to understand a hint and behave accordingly. • I said I didn’t want to see you anymore. Can’t you take a hint? I don’t like you. • Sure I can take a hint, but I’d rather be told directly.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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Also, take the hint. Accept an indirect or covert suggestion, as in Evelyn took the hint and quietly left the room. This idiom was first recorded in 1711.
American Heritage Idioms