The phrase "a first hint of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when introducing an initial indication or suggestion of something that may develop further.
Example: "The artist's latest work provides a first hint of the themes she will explore in her upcoming exhibition."
Alternatives: "an initial indication of" or "a preliminary sign of".
A neo-Renaissance-style sandstone structure, it sprawls and swirls across an entire city block, offering a first hint of Hamburg's longstanding vanity and ambition.
Second, in May and June, the Labor Department reported a rise in the number of temporary workers -- often a first hint of a rebound.
Many believe that Mr Wilders will call the shots even if his party is excluded from the cabinet.The local elections on March 3rd will give a first hint of the parties' strengths.
The staff of Bidoup Nui Ba National Park picked us up from our hotel in Da Lat in a large Russian military S.U.V. — a first hint of the rough road ahead.
After justifying that promotion and offering a first hint of his ability with 41 from 57 balls, he launched Tim Bresnan towards the square-leg boundary – where Root was appropriately placed to take a good diving catch.
However, their shock Challenge Cup defeat by Leeds was a first hint of how the elder Paul will be missed in the big matches, despite the arrival of the huge Kiwi wing Lesley Vainikolo.
A first hint on the mechanism of tumor colonization by S. Typhimurium came from macroscopic observations.
A second hint of interest of our data concerns the inhibitory role of TGF β on the autophagic flux.
Taken together, our results could provide a first hint to explain the abnormal expression of c-myb in leukemic cells.
That's how I absorbed racism, like a twinge, the first hint of a dangerous microbe in your blood.
A first-degree murder indictment in the stabbings of two Dartmouth professors says they occurred during a robbery, the first hint of a motive in the case.
