pick up on

present singular third person picks up on · participle present picking up on · participle past picked up on · past picked up on

1. idiomatictransitiveTo notice, observe, learn, or understand, especially something otherwise overlooked.

   No wonder I didn't pick up on what was happening.

   1980, Norman Spinrad, The Mind Game, page 22

   5 more examples

   "Remember, I know more about it than only what you picked up on that morning."

   1882, Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 18, in Magnum Bonum; or, Mother Carey's Brood

   Why didn't the police or the school pick up on the killers' warning signs?

   1999 December 12, Andrew Goldstein, “The Victims: Never Again”, in Time

   Patrick: Well, maybe you're just too smart for everybody. Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Hmm, that's a good point, Pete. You pick up on stuff, don't you? Patrick: I don't know. It's Patrick, though. Allen Gregory: I don't care.

   2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1)

   Readers and bloggers alertly picked up on the nuances of language, and what some called the inconsistencies.

   2011 May 11, Arthur S. Brisbane, “The Other Torture Debate”, in New York Times, retrieved 24 May 2011

   Making recommendations to GBRf to improve its fatigue management, RAIB notes that GBRf missed an opportunity to pick up on the driver's potential fatigue.

   2023 August 23, “Network News: RAIB cites driver fatigue as factor in 28mph collision”, in RAIL, number 990, page 13

   Synonyms: grasp, spot

2. idiomatictransitiveTo continue or build upon (for example, a task, analysis, or narrative), beginning from a point at which someone has previously stopped.

   Andy Murray has landed in Valencia for next week’s ATP tournament to pick up on his interrupted year, six weeks after the Davis Cup tie against Poland when he played three times in successive days and exacerbated the damage to his left wrist.

   2009 October 31, Neil Harman, “Caroline Wozniacki reaches semi-finals”, in Times Online, UK, retrieved 24 May 2011

   Synonyms: resume

3. idiomatictransitiveTo adopt a practice in which others already engage.

   China was slow to pick up on the reality-TV trend.

   2010 June 30, Justin Bergman, “China's TV Dating Shows: For Love or Money?”, in Time

   1 more example

   "What you've got to do is, you've got to study the guy and try to pick up on his techniques, try to pick up what he's real good at."

   2004 September 16, Patrick Saunders, “Eye on the Jaguars”, in Denver Post, page D10

   Synonyms: imitate