pick up on

pick up on idiom
Become aware of, notice, as in The teacher picked up on her nervousness right away. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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