hint

From Middle English hinten, hynten, variant of henten (“to lay hold of, catch”), from Old English hentan (“to seize, grasp”), from Proto-Germanic *hantijaną. More at hent.

• IPA^(key): /hɪnt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪnt

hint (plural hints)

1. A clue.

   I needed a hint to complete the crossword.

2. A tacit suggestion that avoids a direct statement.

   He gave me a hint that my breath smelt.

3. A small, barely detectable amount of.

   There was a hint of irony in his voice.

   I could taste a hint of lemon in the wine.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 2, in A Cuckoo in the Nest‎:

     Mother very rightly resented the slightest hint of condescension. She considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, […] .

4. (computing) Information in a computer-based font that suggests how the outlines of the font's glyphs should be distorted in order to produce, at specific sizes, a visually appealing pixel-based rendering. Also known as hinting.

   This font does not scale well; at small point sizes it has no hinting at all, and the hints that it has for the 10- and 12-point letter 'g' still need work.

5. (obsolete) An opportunity; occasion; fit time.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2

     I, not remembering how I cried out then, / Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint / That wrings mine eyes to't.

• (small amount): see also Thesaurus:modicum.

• → Japanese: ヒント (hinto)

hint (third-person singular simple present hints, present participle hinting, simple past and past participle hinted)

1. (intransitive) To suggest tacitly without a direct statement; to provide a clue.

   She hinted at the possibility of a recount of the votes.

   • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎:

     “I have tried, as I hinted, to enlist the co-operation of other capitalists, but experience has taught me that any appeal is futile that does not impinge directly upon cupidity. … .”

2. (transitive) To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner.

   to hint a suspicion

   • Alexander Pope

     Just hint a fault and hesitate dislike.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. In Six Volumes, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: Printed by A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292:

     We shall not describe this tragical scene too fully; but we thought ourselves obliged, by that historic integrity which we profess, shortly to hint a matter which we would otherwise have been glad to have spared.

3. (transitive) To develop and add hints to a font.

   The typographer worked all day on hinting her new font so it would look good on computer screens.

• See also Thesaurus:allude

• Nith, thin, thin'

Borrowing from English hint.

• Audio

  (file)

hint f or m (plural hints, diminutive hintje n)

1. hint

• aanwijzing

• tip

hint

1. first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of hinten
2. imperative of hinten

• IPA^(key): [ˈhint]
• Hyphenation: hint

hint

1. to scatter, sprinkle

   A cukrász porcukrot hint a süteményre. - The confectioner sprinkles powedered sugar on the cookie.

• szór

From English hint

hint n (definite singular hintet, indefinite plural hint, definite plural hinta or hintene)

1. a hint
   • 2014, "Grepet av deg" by Sylvia Day, Bastion Forlag →ISBN

     Mykt og taktfast, erfarent, med akkurat det rette hintet av lidenskap holdt i tøyler.

     Soft and measured, experienced, with just the right hint of passion kept in check.

• “hint” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “hint” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

From English hint

hint n (definite singular hintet, indefinite plural hint, definite plural hinta)

1. a hint

• “hint” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.