hint

hint
I. noun Etymology: probably alteration of obsolete hent act of seizing, from hent, verb Date: 1604 1. archaic opportunity, turn 2. a. a statement conveying by implication what it is preferred not to say explicitly b. an indirect or summary suggestion <
helpful hints
>
3. a slight indication of the existence, approach, or nature of something ; clue 4. a very small amount ; suggestion <
with just a hint of spice
>
II. verb Date: 1648 transitive verb to convey indirectly and by allusion rather than explicitly <
a suspicion that she scarcely dared to hint
>
intransitive verb to give a hint — usually used with at <
hint at the answer
>
Synonyms: see suggesthinter noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • hint — [hint] n. [prob. var. of HENT] 1. a slight indication of a fact, wish, etc.; indirect suggestion or piece of advice; intimation; covert allusion [a hint that we should leave] 2. a very small amount or degree; trace [a hint of spice] 3. Obs. an… …   English World dictionary

  • hint at — To give a hint, suggestion, or indication of • • • Main Entry: ↑hint * * * hint at [phrasal verb] hint at (something) : to talk about (something) in an indirect way He s been hinting at the possibility of running for mayor. = He s been hinting at …   Useful english dictionary

  • Hint — (h[i^]nt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Hinted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Hinting}.] [OE. henten, hinten, to seize, to catch, AS. hentan to pursue, take, seize; or Icel. ymta to mutter, ymtr a muttering, Dan. ymte to whisper. [root]36. Cf. {Hent}.] To bring to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hint — Hint, v. i. To make an indirect reference, suggestion, or allusion; to allude vaguely to something. [1913 Webster] We whisper, and hint, and chuckle. Tennyson. [1913 Webster] {To hint at}, to allude to lightly, indirectly, or cautiously. Syn: To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hint — Hint, n. A remote allusion; slight mention; intimation; insinuation; a suggestion or reminder, without a full declaration or explanation; also, an occasion or motive. [1913 Webster] Our hint of woe Is common. Shak. [1913 Webster] The hint… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hint — can refer to: *Hardware Information Navigational Tool (HINT) *Hierarchical INTegration, a computer benchmark. *Hint (musician), musician Jonathan James, from Sussex, UK. *Font hinting, a process for optimizing the rasterization of vectors *Nord… …   Wikipedia

  • hint — hint·er; hint·ing·ly; hint; …   English syllables

  • hint — [n] indication; suggestion adumbration, advice, allusion, announcement, clue, communication, connotation, denotation, evidence, flea in ear*, glimmering, help, idea, implication, impression, inference, information, inkling, innuendo, insinuation …   New thesaurus

  • hint — sb. (itk.), s el. hint, ene (hentydning) …   Dansk ordbog

  • hint — ► NOUN 1) a slight or indirect indication. 2) a very small trace. 3) a small piece of practical information. ► VERB 1) indicate indirectly. 2) (hint at) be a slight indication of …   English terms dictionary

  • hint — I noun adumbration, allusion, clue, connotation, covert allusion, cue, faint outline, faint suggestion, foreshadowing, idea, implication, indication, indirect suggestion, inference, inkling, insinuation, intimation, significatio, slight… …   Law dictionary

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