From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdrop a hintdrop a hintSUGGESTto suggest or ask for something in an indirect way, hoping that the person you are talking to will understand what you mean He dropped some big hints about what he wanted for his birthday. → drop
Examples from the Corpus
drop a hint• She kept dropping hints about her birthday, just to make sure none of us forgot about it.• My mother dropped several hints about us wallpapering her sitting room.• I've dropped a few hints about what I want for my birthday.• They managed to see Maeda who dropped hints and told them to be circumspect.• Little by little he dropped hints, but no details.• Occasionally he dropped hints on this matter to Gina.• But sometimes, the trash drops a hint to a waiter. 