A subtweet is a post about someone without tagging them, often with a complaint or a dig: “some people turned up an hour late again”. The person isn't named, but everyone who knows them gets it. The word comes from Twitter, but it's used for hints on any platform; neutrally, an indirect post about someone.
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post a subtweet about someone; subtweet someone; subtweeted
- Her post about people who arrive late sounded like a subtweet about the organiser.
- He subtweeted his former teammate without tagging him.
- I could not tell whether the vague complaint was a subtweet or just a general observation.
What changed
First versionI subtweeted her to ask about the homework.
RevisionI sent her a DM to ask about the homework.
Subtweet is easy to take as “message someone on social media”, so it turns into a private message. But a subtweet is a public hint; it's never sent to the person. If you write to someone directly, that's a DM: I sent her a DM.
A DM is a private message only the recipient sees. A mention is a post with @name, and the person gets a notification. A subtweet is a public post without a tag: no notification, but the hint is clear.
Your turn
A public complaint about someone without directly tagging them can be a ___.
Show the answer
subtweet — You need subtweet: the complaint is public but doesn't tag the person. A direct message is private, not a public post.
Describe how someone hinted at a friend on social media without naming them. Use subtweet.
His post about borrowed umbrellas was an obvious subtweet about the friend who had kept his.
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