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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Looking for an Idiom (Broad hint)
Looking for an Idiom (Broad hint)
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douglas
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Looking for an Idiom (Broad hint)
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Hi All!
I was just speaking with a German colleague that used a German idiom I hadn �t heard before ("wink mit dem Dachlatte") that directly translates to "wave with a roofing slat". There are other variations to this throughout Germany (some wave with fence posts, barn doors, etc.).
The really meaning is "to hint broadly". An example of this would be to keep yawning obviously and loudly so your guests will get the hint that you want them to go home--without coming out and telling them that you want them to leave.
My question is:
Can any of you think of any English idioms with the same or similar meaning?
I �m drawing a blank at the moment, the only thing I can come-up with is:
"to be as obvious as the nose on your face"
and this doesn �t really quite capture the meaning I am looking for.
Thanks in advance,
Douglas |
14 Jul 2011
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edrodmedina
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Hey Douglas..The only one I can think of at the moment that might come close is The thousand pound gorila in the room..But that is more like ignoring an obvious problem. |
14 Jul 2011
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libertybelle
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Hi Douglas!
I know that expression in Danish, which literally translated means to "hint with a crowbar "
I �ve checked all my idiom books and found no expression that matches.
The closest I can think of is "To take a hint".
Why don �t they take a hint and go home.
Guess there has never been a need for an idiom like - to hint with a ton of bricks.
But we could be the first!!
The other expression you use is more often said: Plain as the nose on your face.
(but that �s not what you were really asking about.)
Looking forward to hearing if someone found a true idiom for this situation!
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14 Jul 2011
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ueslteacher
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I �d rather say drop a hint, but that again doesn �t quite have the same connotation, unless it is dropped like smth the birds do:) and the action is hint dropping:) Sophia
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14 Jul 2011
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douglas
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Ed- I know it as the "elephant in the room", but like you said that is ignoring the obvious.
Liberty- I like that: "hinting with a ton of bricks."--I REALLY like that.
Sophia- it took me a minute to "get" the "like birds do" joke :), but dropping (pooping?  ) a hint is just one part of the puzzle
Thanks for the help--anyone else have any? |
14 Jul 2011
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libertybelle
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I like that one too! (just made it up!)
Dropping a hint like a ton of bricks!! 
That �s a good image of someone NOT getting the message!!
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14 Jul 2011
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spinney
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Not sure if this is the context but how about " a nod is as good as a wink?" The complete expression is "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind man" but I suppose the meaning for that would be "to get/take the hint." But to be hinting very heavily to someone alludes me at the moment. I �m off to work soon. I �ll see if anyone has something they can contribute.
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14 Jul 2011
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almaz
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You might be forced to ask your guests: "Do I have to paint a ******* picture?" or "Here �s your hat, what �s your hurry?"
But then again, a nod �s as good as a wink to a blind dachshund - and, unfortunately, sending out bloody great signals doesn �t always work with some of our more pachydermatous friends anyway.
If forcing them to leave at gunpoint seems a bit extreme to you, you could always turn off the lights and ask them to close the front door behind them. Oh, and they can only come back when they �ve found a suitable English translation for "wink mit dem Dachlatte". That �ll larn �em. |
14 Jul 2011
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Olindalima ( F )
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Hello friends
I �m not sure if I got your point Douglas, and, I don �t have / know what you need. But it reminded me of a very funny thing one of my friends usually says, when he gets tired of people in his house and wants them to leave; in a very polite, smiling way he says to his wife:
Lu�sa, let �s go home, these guys here need some sleep.
Linda
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14 Jul 2011
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yanogator
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So, Douglas, I think we �re discovering that we just don �t have that expression in English. I have a friend who has absolutely no tact. Once, when guests were staying too late, he said, "If I were at somebody �s house, I would have gone home by now". Another time, his wife asked if their guests would like some coffee. My friend said, "No, they don �t want coffee. They �re leaving." Bruce  |
14 Jul 2011
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Mariethe House
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I think I remember an expression that goes something likr this: Don � you feel I am breathing down your neck?
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14 Jul 2011
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