get the message

1. Also, get the picture. Understand or infer the real import or substance of something. For example, He gestured to the waiter, who got the message and brought the bill, or Kate got the picture and decided to keep her mouth shut about the error. [Mid-1900s] Also see get it.

Example Sentences

“I was supposed to get the message — and it would be ‘my own decision,’ so I’d be stuck with it,” Dudek said.

From Salon

All drones are banned and international journalists have been visited at home, some on multiple occasions, to ensure they get the message.

From BBC

On “Chains and Whips,” Pusha T opens up lethally: “The question marks block your blessings / There’s no tombstones in the desert / I know by now you get the message.”

From Los Angeles Times

Bender didn’t get the message, so he showed up anyway and ended up chatting with some other dads for an hour.

From Los Angeles Times

“For people who live in towns and cities who are now getting to meet the wild neighbors and not knowing much about them, that’s an easy way to just immediately form a fearful impression of them,” she said, “which why it’s even more important … that we do get the message out to people as as young and early as possible.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• appreciate 
• comprehend 
• distinguish 
• feel 
• grasp 
• know 
• read 
• realize 
• recognize 
• see