English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
What is the word/expression/phrase/idiom for "demand something without saying it"?
For instance, if my father expects me to "show" respect by standing up when he walks into the room, I could say - My father ______________ (demand without saying it) respect. He will not say that I have to stand up, but he will be passive-aggressive if I don't show respect.
The person in question has a sense of entitlement. See the ODO example below which talks of someone's anger indirectly expressing their sense of entitlement. For the sample sentence, we can use the verb form entitle (entitled to).
My father feels entitled to respect.
ODO:
entitlement
NOUN1.2 The belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.
‘His anger might also have betrayed his sense of entitlement.’
entitle
VERB[WITH OBJECT]
1 (often be entitled to) Give (someone) a legal right or a just claim to receive or do something.‘Every natural and legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions.’
