breadcrumb vs hint

breadcrumb

noun
  • One in a series of clues leading to a person or place. 

  • A single link in a chain indicating the hierarchical location of a directory, web page or similar, used as a navigation aid. 

  • A tiny piece of bread, either one that falls from bread as it is cut or eaten, or one made deliberately by crumbling bread. 

verb
  • To add navigational breadcrumbs to (a web page or user interface). 

  • To use clues or enticements to lead someone in the desired direction. 

  • To sprinkle breadcrumbs on to food, normally before cooking. 

hint

noun
  • A clue. 

  • A small, barely detectable amount. 

  • An instruction to the database engine as to how a query should be executed, for example whether to use an index or not. 

  • An implicit suggestion that avoids a direct statement. 

  • Information in a computer-based font that suggests how the outlines of the font's glyphs should be distorted in order to produce, at specific sizes, a visually appealing pixel-based rendering; an instance of hinting. 

verb
  • To develop and add hints to a font. 

  • To imply without a direct statement; to provide a clue. 

  • To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner. 

How often have the words breadcrumb and hint occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )