a wink and a nod

A sly, subtle signal used to communicate a piece of information that one doesn't want to state aloud, publicly, or directly. Sometimes hyphenated if used as a modifier before a noun. One clever little moment in the film is a wink and a nod to fans of the original books. Even though I didn't have a work permit, I knew a lot of smaller business would still hire me with a wink and a nod. The governor wants to clamp down on the wink-and-a-nod attitude of police officers who look the other way when drivers have a bit more to drink than they should have.