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Jane Nhung
2021-07-08 05:07
Pick up what (one) is putting down spoken language slang
To understand what someone is alluding to or indirectly saying
I'm free this Saturday. Do you pick up what I'm putting down?
You don't need to explain anymore. I pick up what you're putting down.
I picked up what he was putting down. He alluded to ‘something bad that happened.’
To understand easily what someone is thinking or feeling
Be able to understand one's behaviour or character
To try to imagine how would you feel if you were in someone's else situation
Used to describe starting to understand or learn about something.
The verb "pick" and "is" should be conjugated according to the tense of the sentence.
He didn't want to have dinner with me, so he kept saying he had eaten already. I picked up what he was putting down.
This is a phrase that comes from the Black people. "Put it down" sounds like putting it all on the table. Everything is exposed and placed in plain sight. "Pick up" is a little word-play.
Do you see anything wrong?
A humorous way of saying that what one has said is just what they acknowledge and may not be entirely accurate
Mike: Have you returned from your vacation on the beach? Your skin seems to get tanned.
Jenny: My skin is always dark. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
