put out the (one's) feelers 成语
put out feelers
discover indirectly, ask subtle questions, through the grapevine I'm not really looking for a new job, but I'm going to put out a few feelers and see what happens.
put out some feelers
Idiom(s): put out (some) feelers
Theme: INQUIRY - CAUTIOUS
to attempt to find out something without being too obvious.
• I wanted to get a new job, so I put out some feelers.
• The manager was mean to everyone in the office, so everyone put out feelers in an attempt to find new jobs.