Be explicit before drawing conclusions. When we do not want to risk ourselves we use innuendo and implicit language. A statement, or question can be covered up when it is not explicit. It is possible to pretend that the implication or innuendo was not intended because it is plausible you did not see it.

The recipient has the same scapegoat you have. If you want to be confident in your interpretation of a response you need to be explicit in your initiation.