湖边社【学个词 inkling】inkling - n. 暗示；略知；模糊概念;模糊印象； v. 暗示（inkle 的 ing 形式）；略知；低声说出
Definition:noun
1: a slight knowledge or vague notion
had not the faintest inkling of what it was all about —H. W. Carter
2: a slight indication or suggestion : HINT, CLUE
there was no path—no inkling even of a track —New Yorker
Did you know?
This may come as a surprise, but inkling has not a drop to do with ink, whether of squid, tattoo, or any other variety. Originating in English in the early 16th century, inkling comes instead from Middle English yngkiling, meaning “whisper or mention,” and perhaps further back from the verb inclen, meaning “to hint at.” An early sense of the word meant “a faint perceptible sound or undertone” or “rumor,” but now people usually use the word to refer to a vague notion someone has (“had an inkling they would be there”), or to a hint of something present (“a conversation with not even an inkling of anger”). One related word you might not have heard of is the rare verb inkle, a back-formation of inkling that in some British English dialects can mean “to utter or communicate in an undertone or whisper, to hint, give a hint of” or “to have an idea or notion of.” (Inkle is also a noun referring to “a colored linen tape or braid woven on a very narrow loom and used for trimming” but etymologists don’t have an inkling of where that inkle came from.)
Synonyms
clue,cue,hint,indication,intimation,lead,suggestion
Example Sentences
1 did not give the slightest inkling that he was planning to quit
2 But he's got inklings of the series history in his DNA, quite literally. —Evan Romano, Men's Health, 7 Aug. 2023
3 The quarterback battle will be the biggest on-field story, and through two days there may be a few beginning inkling of the hierarchy. —Matt Cohen | McOhen@al.com, al, 4 Aug. 2023
4 Then, in a wild twist, the apes’ inkling of a financial scheme was apparently confirmed by a joke tweet from a comedian. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2023
5 He must have had some inkling of what was happening.
