Meaning & use
I'm picking up what you're putting down
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalslangAmerican
Said to show you understand what someone means, especially a hint or a roundabout way of saying something.
Grammar: A complete spoken reply: used on its own as a response.
Patterns
- I'm picking up what you're putting down
You want me to leave early? I'm picking up what you're putting down.
So the cake was a joke gift? Yeah, I'm picking up what you're putting down.
He nodded and said, 'Picking up what you're putting down.'
Common combinations
- picking up what you're putting down
- Picking up what you're putting down, so I'll wait outside.
- I'm picking up what you're putting down
- Okay, I'm picking up what you're putting down.
- say with a wink
- He said it with a wink and a grin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- I get it
- I get it is plain and neutral, while this phrase is jokey and shows you caught a hint.
- I see what you mean
- I see what you mean is more polite and general, and fits formal speech too.
- I hear you
- I hear you adds sympathy as well as understanding.
- gotcha
- Gotcha is shorter and quicker, with less playfulness.
Word family
- pick up on phrase
- to notice something that is not stated openly
- put down phrasal verb
- to set something on a surface
Commonly confused: I'm picking up what you're putting down or put down?
I'm picking up what you're putting down vs put down
In this idiom put down does not mean insult; it just means offer or say, as in what you are offering.
Practice
When a friend says 'I'm picking up what you're putting down', what is she telling you?
Choose one answer.
It is a playful way to say you understand what someone is hinting at. It is not about literal carrying, and it does not signal disagreement or confusion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “I'm picking up what you're putting down”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.