A verbal indication arises when the wording of the utterance itself excludes the literal agency. A striking word is not automatically an indication; it must genuinely constrain the interpretation.
For example, if an utterance attributes an action to someone but also explicitly states that the action occurred through that person's direction, supervision, or cause rather than personal performance, the added wording can make the intended attribution clear.
The figurative subject and the word serving as indication play different roles. The indication is evidence for recognizing a nonliteral relation; it is not identical to the relational transfer itself.