History Main / HintDropping

'''Sara:''' ''[thinking]'' Sara, he's a GUY... You '''have''' to be more obvious.

* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'':
** Throughout the story several characters point Shinji out that Asuka had dropped several hints at his direction. Their explanations usually are followed by Shinji face-palming and groaning at being clueless and oblivious. Later Shinji and Asuka often wonder if their lives could have gone differently if he had got her hints or she had been more straight-forward.
--->'' 'I'm starting to really like the feeling of a warm body keeping me company in bed while sweat cools on my skin. Too bad Baka-Shinji didn't catch my 'Walls of Jericho' hint. This would have made synch training a lot more fun... we could have had more days like this.'''
** During a conversation [[spoiler:Hikari reveals Touji]] she liked him and had dropped several hints. He admitted that he was figuring it out and he was thinking of talking to her about it when [[spoiler:the Bardiel accident]] happened and ruined his plans.

* ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'': When Asuka meets Shinji she mentions on passing she had been constantly hitting on him... and getting exasperated because she could not tell whether he was dense or not interested:
-->'''Asuka''':"You masturbating over my comatose body was far from the worst thing to happen to me that week. At least it proved you were too dumb to know when you're being hit on instead of just gay."

* ''Fanfic/SynepeiesACollectionOfNTRConsequences'' deconstructs this in the short story "The Childhood Friend Waited Too Long", in which Miki tried using this multiple times in order to get Takashi to make the first move. He never did, mostly because Takashi self-admittedly kind of dense. Not helping Miki's case is that she GaveUpTooSoon, trapping herself between flings and putting herself in a negative light out of frustration. Meanwhile, Saki was able to gain Takashi's feelings simply by [[MundaneSolution directly telling him exactly how she felt]].

''[beat]''\\

'''Ryan''': ''[trying not to laugh]''. Oh, no no. I'm talking about Cu-- ''[[[{{Corpsing}} bursts out laughing]]]'' I'm talking about Cuba, Col-- ''[loses it again]''

* In VideoGame/DragaliaLost, Cassandra tries flirting with Aurelius in the past, only for them to never get married. In the present day, she regrets not being more direct with him.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons:''
-->'''Marge:''' Oh, Homey, look at that watch. I've always wanted a watch like that.
-->'''Homer:''' ''(slyly)'' Well, maybe someone will give you one for Christmas...
-->'''Marge:''' ''(happy sound)''
-->'''Homer:''' ''(thinking)'' Now she'll ''really'' be surprised when she opens that ironing board cover!

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'', in one episode Aladdin is shopping for a locket for Jasmine. When Genie asks why he sarcastically mentions she's been dropping "little hints" like pointing at them and shouting "I want one!"
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Isabella tries to reveal her crush on Phineas in non-direct ways. It...[[ObliviousToLove doesn't work]] and she eventually gives up. [[spoiler: When the tables turn in their teenage years, Phineas doesn't bother with hints]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'':
** In "[[Recap/ArthurS8E9FleaToBeYouAndMeKissAndTell Kiss and Tell]]", D.W. spends most of the episode trying to hint to her classmate James that [[ItMakesSenseInContext she wants a kiss from him]]. [[spoiler:He never gets the hint, and it takes D.W. ultimately being direct with him to get one]].
** {{Implied|Trope}} in "The Great [=MacGrady=]", where Ed Crosswire's butler Bailey gives him a copy of Creator/SamuelBeckett's ''Theatre/{{Endgame}}'' for his birthday. That book is about the life of an OldRetainer who is desperate to leave his demanding master but is constantly prevented from doing so, implying Bailey may be trying to hint to Ed that he feels the same way about working for him.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{SixTeen}}'': Caitlyn pretty much personifies the "passive female" in relationships and thus struggles to communicate directly with any of her various beaus. When she's unhappy with the way Tallen kisses her, the only thing she can think to do is take him to a romcom and talk about how "''nice'' and ''soft''" the kisses look, rather than politely asking him not to use quite so much tongue. She freezes up trying to get a date to a Sadie Hawkins dance because her usual method of flirting is "flutter her eyelashes and await the invitation" and she actually considers it desperate and pathetic for a girl to be the one to ask, even when that's what the dance calls for. In another episode, when a boy isn't taking her hints and Jen encourages her to be direct, her solution is dressing up as a penguin because they mate for life and telling the boy she's chosen him to be her mate. She's not great at ''taking'' hints either; when Kevin tells her her flirtatious notes seemed "masculine" and "[he] and [she] are looking for ''the same thing,''" she still doesn't get why he's no longer interested in her until another character spells it out (though still euphemistically).

* ''Webcomic/{{Erma}}'': One of Erma's friends in [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/erma/erma-rat-trap-/viewer?title_no=170650&episode_no=159 Rat Trap]] states that a rat is causing a lot of havoc and it would be nice if '''''somebody''''' had the ability to stop it. Erma smiles and nods then returns to eating her lunch. The next scene has her friend pushing her to the area saying "that means you".

[[/folder]]

* In the ''Manga/FairyTail'' fanfiction ''TheYoungAndTheReckless'', the [[PerpetualSmiler kind and cheerfully helpful]] young man the MainCharacters meet up with drops dozens of hints that [[spoiler: he is actually TheDragon, TheMole, a {{Bifauxnen}}, and in it all ForTheLulz; the woman he was talking to when they met is married to another member of the QuirkyMinibossSquad; TheBartender who led them to him is another member of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Squad]], and the BigBad has [[DiabolicalMastermind planned]] [[CrazyPrepared ahead]] for ways to [[CombatPragmatist kill them all as efficiently as possible]].]] Of course, no one gets the hints at the time, though they [[DopeSlap smack themselves upside the head]] for missing it once TheReveal happens.

* Time and time again in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' where a girl would express blatant interest in Ash, but [[ObliviousToLove he always fails to notice]]. Misty tried it at least once or twice, Macey (one of Ash's opponents in the Johto League) is not even trying to be subtle about her declarations of love, and Serena, ''repeatedly'' (she tried it twice in her first episode together with him, and the count only keeps going up from there).

* Time and time again in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' where a girl would express blatant interest in Ash, but he always fails to notice. Misty tried it at least once or twice, Macey (one of Ash's opponents in the Johto League) is not even trying to be subtle about her declarations of love, and Serena, ''repeatedly'' (she tried it twice in her first episode together with him, and the count only keeps going up from there).

* Inverted in ''Series/TheCosbyShow''. When an old girlfriend of Elvin's comes to visit and wants to have dinner with him and Sondra, Sondra declines, as she has to work on her law school application, but repeatedly (over his own insistence that he ''not'' go out) tells Elvin that it's all right if he does. Of course, this is exactly the opposite of what she really means and is furious with him when he comes home. Elvin is completely confused as to why she's so angry and wonders how she expected him to know that being told "Yes, it's okay if you go out" actually mean, "No, I don't want you to go out."

* ''Webcomic/{{Erma}}'': One of Erma's friends in [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/erma/erma-rat-trap-/viewer?title_no=170650&episode_no=159 Rat Trap]] states that a rat is causing a lot of havoc and it would be nice if '''''somebody''''' had the ability to stop it. Erma smiles and nods at then returns to eating her lunch. The next scene has her friend pushing her to the area saying "that means you".

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Isabella tries to reveal her crush on Phineas in non-direct ways. It...[[ObliviousToLove doesn't work]] and she eventually gives up. [[spoiler: When the tables turn in their teenage years, Phineas doesn't bother with hints.]]
[[/folder]]

----

** Fortunately, they ''really'' [[SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} made up for]] [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex lost time afterwards.]]

A subtrope of CannotSpitItOut; this is where the character ''will'' not spit it out. If the other person actually gets the hint, it's GladYouThoughtOfIt. This is itself a supertrope to PromptingNudge.

--->'' ‘I’m starting to really like the feeling of a warm body keeping me company in bed while sweat cools on my skin. Too bad Baka-Shinji didn’t catch my ‘Walls of Jericho’ hint. This would have made synch training a lot more fun… we could have had more days like this.’''

* In ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', Amanda tries to seduce the protagonist by small but significant actions, such as delaying covering herself when he sees her in the shower. The culmination is in Whiskeyville, when she walks into his hotel room naked. Still, it takes [[spoiler:the protagonist finding out that Amanda is actually writing the father-daughter incest stories that Kathy is posting]] for him to figure out what’s going on. Justified by the taboo on incest.
** Later on, Amanda asks the protagonist if he notices anything different after he gets home from work. After he gives a generic answer, she is angry that he didn’t notice the work she put into her makeup.
*** Then, Amanda does this for a ''third'' time. She gives vague clues that she wants the protagonist to tell her about her mother, and when he doesn’t take the hint, [[spoiler:she surreptitiously moves out of their apartment]].

** Johanna and Tamara both do this with the protagonist to show their respective feelings for him. He gradually wises up to Johanna’s feelings, but Tamara soon loses patience and goes direct.
** Dennis does this to the protagonist in a non-romantic example. After the yacht trip, Dennis starts making not-so-veiled references to the protagonist’s role in the Barbarossa incident before playing a recording of his “therapeutic” conversation with Tamara about the incident. Subverted, as the protagonist actually wonders if Dennis could actually know about the conversation and/or what the two of them did.

This can be TruthInTelevision, seeing as women who ''are'' forward and direct in their advances [[MyGirlIsNotASlut tend to be frowned upon]], but TV (especially {{Sit Com}}s, where the trope is quite popular) highly exaggerates the phenomenon. One would expect a man who's lived with a woman for umpteen years to be able to read her hints with at least some degree of accuracy; but this never carries over into fiction. Nor does said fictional woman ever just speak directly about what's on her mind.

This can be TruthInTelevision, but TV (especially {{Sit Com}}s, where the trope is quite popular) highly exaggerates the phenomenon. One would expect a man who's lived with a woman for umpteen years to be able to read her hints with at least some degree of accuracy; but this never carries over into fiction. Nor does said fictional woman ever just speak directly about what's on her mind.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': This is the last straw for Nobby in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant.'' After Vimes and Carrot both go to Uberwald, acting-captain Colon becomes increasingly tyrannical, but Nobby is willing to put up with it if he can make sergeant. After dropping several boulder-like hints that he would ''definitely'' make a good sergeant and leaving no doubt the name he has in mind, Colon takes the advice and promotes Bauxite the troll. This prompts Nobby to finally organize the other angry Watchmen into a strike.

* ''Lierature/{{Discworld}}'': This is the last straw for Nobby in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant.'' After Vimes and Carrot both go to Uberwald, acting-captain Colon becomes increasingly tyrannical, but Nobby is willing to put up with it if he can make sergeant. After dropping several boulder-like hints that he would ''definitely'' make a good sergeant and leaving no doubt the name he has in mind, Colon takes the advice and promotes Bauxite the troll. This prompts Nobby to finally organize the other angry Watchmen into a strike.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Asuka Langley Sohryu is drawn to Shinji Ikari. However her psychological hang-ups, means that she cannot just spit it out because she is frightened of opening up and getting hurt again. So she occasionally -- and clumsily -- drops hints (the "Wall of Jericho" scene, shoving her breasts on his face, the kiss scene...). Unfortunately Shinji is too meek and just as socially-inept and frightened of other people as her, so he never realizes her hints are... well, hints, even if he liked her back, and his obliviousness leads to Asuka getting increasingly furious, upset and depressed, which in turn makes him upset and depressed. Cue both breaking down.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Asuka Langley Sohryu is drawn to Shinji Ikari. However she could not just spit it out because she was frightened of opening up and getting hurt again. So she occasionally - and clumsily - dropped hints (the "Wall of Jericho" scene, shoving her breasts on his face, the kiss scene...). Unfortunately Shinji was too meek and just as socially-inept and frightened of other people as her, so he never realized her hints were... well, hints, even if he liked her back, and his obliviousness led to Asuka getting increasingly furious, upset and depressed, which in turn got him upset and depressed. Cue both breaking down.

* ''Lierature/{{Discworld}}'': This is the last straw for Nobby in ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant.'' After Vimes and Carrot both go to Uberwald, acting-captain Colon becomes increasingly tyrannical, but Nobby is willing to put up with it if he can make sergeant. After dropping several boulder-like hints that he would ''definitely'' make a good sergeant and leaving no doubt the name he has in mind, Colon takes the advice and promotes Bauxite the troll. This prompts Nobby to finally organize the other angry Watchmen into a strike.

[[folder:Film]]

* This is the last straw for Nobby in ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant.'' After Vimes and Carrot both go to Uberwald, acting-captain Colon becomes increasingly tyrannical, but Nobby is willing to put up with it if he can make sergeant. After dropping several boulder-like hints that he would ''definitely'' make a good sergeant and leaving no doubt the name he has in mind, Colon takes the advice and promotes Bauxite the troll. This prompts Nobby to finally organize the other angry Watchmen into a strike.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': Miss Brooks drops hints left and right for ObliviousToLove Mr. Boynton. Usually they don't work, that is until the GrandFinale.
* In ''Series/HomeImprovement'', Jill has made plans for her and Tim to attend some formal event. She's marked the date on the calendar (apparently ''only'' marked it, not indicated what it was), ordered up his formal wear and all that. Tim, of course, doesn't take the hint. It should be noted, though, that this is a case where the trope is treated in a more balanced fashion. Jill and Tim are equally to blame for the misunderstanding: he for not noticing what she's up to (or at the least, ''asking''), and she for not realizing he wasn't catching on and just straight up telling him.Of course, in the end, just as Jill is about to apologize to Tim, he apologizes first... and Jill doesn't bother.
* Compare and contrast with Father Dougal's idea of a subtle hint in ''Series/FatherTed'' -- writing what he wants on a banner that covers most of the parochial house.
* ''[[Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun 3rd Rock from the Sun]]'' subverted it: Officer Don thought Sally was dropping hints that she wanted him to propose; but Sally, [[NoSocialSkills being an alien and all]], actually meant what she said literally.
* ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' uses this trope pretty regularly, but offered a realistic subversion in at least one episode. After Debra criticizes Raymond for not picking up on her hints, he responds by saying that, after being married to him for so long, she should've already known that he can't take hints, and thus should've just told him directly. She reconsiders, admits that he's right and apologizes as well.

-->'''Buffy''': Have you dropped any hints?
-->'''Willow''': I've dropped anvils!

* In ''Series/MikeAndMolly'' Mike constantly misses hints, notable examples being when she objected to his gallon of combined shampoo/conditioner so he bought separate gallon jugs of each. Also the time a week before Christmas she told him how much she loved the coffee from a certain shop that also sold the machine they used and he asked her if she liked birds.
* Inverted in ''Series/TheCosbyShow''. When an old girlfriend of Elvin's comes to visit and wants to have dinner with him and Sondra, Sondra declines, as she has to work on her law school application, but repeatedly (over his own insistence that he ''not'' go out) tells Elvin that it's all right if he does. Of course, this is exactly the opposite of what she really means and is furious with him when he comes home. Elvin is completely confused as to why she's so angry and wonders how she expected him to know that being told "Yes, it's okay if you go out" actually mean, "No, I don't want you to go out."
* Spoofed in the final episode of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', where the guys riffed ''Film/DangerDiabolik''; when the film's female lead outright points out what she wants for her birthday, Crow quips "Typical guy, didn't take the hint."
* The page quote is from the third series of ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'', when Blackadder is trying to rise from butler to Lord by citing the work he's just done in keeping the spendthrift George from being bankrupted by Parliament. George, being [[TheDitz who he is]], doesn't get it at all and needs several increasingly-obvious hints to realize who Blackadder is suggesting. [[spoiler:So he makes Baldrick a Lord.]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* An example from the ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' comic strip:
-->'''Jeremy:''' Some people are going to a movie tonight... Wanna go?
-->'''Sara:''' I can't. I'm babysitting.
-->'''Jeremy:''' Oh.
-->'''Sara:''' Until midnight. By myself. At 6539 Windmill Lane. It's a light gray house. With a big comfy couch and a kid who goes to sleep at 8.
-->'''Jeremy:''' So you're busy then, huh?
-->'''Sara (thinking):''' Sara, he's a GUY... You '''have''' to be more obvious.

[[folder:Theater]]
* In the second act of ''Theatre/{{Spamalot}}'', after telling Arthur that his Broadway musical needs to end with a wedding, The Lady of the Lake proceeds to drop a series of increasingly blatant hints that his wedding should be to her. He gets it eventually.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

Whenever a woman wants something from the significant man in her life, she will usually tell him. Not directly, mind you; in true passive-aggressive spirit she will drop vague and subtle (or not-so-subtle) hints here and there (often in unrelated occasions), expecting he will put the pieces together himself.

** Fortunately, they ''really'' [[{{WAFF}} made up for]] [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex lost time afterwards.]]

Such HintDropping almost never works. The man won't take the hints (heck, he may not even ''notice'' the hints), and the woman will end up furious at him for it. And, more often than not, since she is often [[WomenAreWiser wiser]] and he is most likely a BumblingDad, the writer will expect the viewer to take her side, seeing him as insensitive and clueless and her as blameless.

* The Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Aniston movie ''TheBreakup'' is all about this, though in this case neither one is favored by the audience; he seems to be dedicated to being incredibly insensitive, and she fancies herself a [[ManipulativeBastard mistress of manipulation]], though her many {{plan}}s backfire. In the end, [[spoiler:nobody wins; contrary to expectation, they actually break up]], each wiser for the wear, apparently.