Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said regarding the words of Allah Almighty, "There is no sin upon you in what you hint of a proposal of marriage to women" [Surah al-Baqarah: 235], "and there is no sin upon you in what you say by way of hinting about marriage to women": and hinting is not (an explicit) proposal.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب النكاح / 14018