let drop

let (something) drop

1. To cease discussing or dwelling upon something. Look, we can't afford a new car right now, so just let the matter drop already!
2. To accidentally or inadvertently reveal some secret or important piece of information. I can't believe your sister let news of our engagement drop in front of your parents last night! The agent, under the influence of a powerful truth serum, let drop the names of other operatives working covertly in the area.
See also: drop, let
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

let drop

Also, let fall. Utter a word or hint, either casually or inadvertently. For example, He let drop the fact that he'd decided to run for office, or She let fall some bits of gossip about the other teachers. [Late 1500s]
See also: drop, let
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • let (something) drop
  • let it
  • let it drop
  • let (something) rest
  • let (something) lie
  • let something lie
  • let it rest
  • chance upon (someone or something)
  • close the door on (something)
  • bang into
References in periodicals archive
Instead of the carefully crafted statements that say as little as possible, Mr Jones is ready to casually let drop revelations that previously would have been reserved for a formal moment.
It should be an interesting list since she let drop a couple of those names over a pint in the Incontinent Corgi round the corner from the Palace.
Farhad Parvaresh (photo), the head of Iran Air, let drop Sunday that the company has to pay a markup of about 30 percent to get parts under the table.
Just think of all the crumbs you've let drop between the keys as you have you lunch at your desk.
He is a shipping magnate with enterprises on both sides of the law, reluctant to let drop the high seas piracy which built his first fortune.
Then this week the Fed let drop that it may not go on cranking much further.
While he was being debriefed by Ames's deputy--who did not speak Russian--Yurchenko let drop a story he said he'd heard in the K.G.B.
(POGC), the main contractor on the project, let drop that only seven of the 24 wells are now operating.
Whether Ms Jolie loses her cool again after Aniston, ever so casually, let drop she and Brad are now back on very close terms remains to be seen.
Let's stop taking this bait and refuse to let drop the mismanagement of our public services or misuse of taxes.
Then I heard Dave Prentis, who runs Unison, Britain's biggest union, let drop that his members' pensions average just pounds 31 a week.
Statements like "I vaguely knew I wanted to destroy myself because I was so depressed--depressed that all we'd done over there was for nothing,' and "That fall I learned I had post-traumatic stress disorder' are simply let drop, as if in their reverence for their subjects' pain, the authors did not want to push for too many details.