Two men are having a conversation. A is plying B with numbers and other technical details, but talks so glibly and rapidly that B does not properly "take on board" the information which A is providing.
It can't be said that B doesn't hear the information. Nor is it quite right to say that B doesn't understand the information (because he could understand it if he focused on it). The truth is that B fails mentally to process the information. That failure is well described by the figurative expression that B fails to "take the information on board".
For my purposes, however, I need a more formal/less casual word or phrase than "take on board". Any suggestions?
Best Answer
Perhaps digest the information
Similarly, absorb
And, as noted in the prior definition, assimilate
All from Oxford Dictionaries Online