intimate to (someone)
To suggest, hint, or insinuate something to someone. A noun or pronoun can be used between "intimate" and "to." I tried to intimate to Ed that he needed to take his elbows off the table, but he didn't get any of my hints. If you want something done, you can't just intimate your wishes to people—you have to be direct. Look, you can't intimate these things to people and then get mad when they don't pick up on your suggestions!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.