put out feelers

Discreetly try to learn something, as in They put out feelers to see if anyone was interested in buying the company. This idiom alludes to an animal's feelers, such as antennae or tentacles, used to find food. [First half of 1800s]

Words nearby put out feelers

put oneself in someone's place, put oneself out, put option, put our heads together, put out, put out feelers, put out of business, put out of one's mind, put out to grass, put over, put paid to