Is it okay to ask for hints during a system design interview?

i'm curious about the etiquette of asking for hints during system design interviews, especially at the distinguished engineer level. sometimes i'll hit a wall on a specific aspect, like trying to implement exactly-once delivery across multiple asynchronous services, and i'm debating whether to just propose a solution i'm only 60% confident in, or if it's better to explicitly state i'm stuck and ask for a hint. i don't want to come across as fishing for answers, but i also want to show i can recognize when i'm out of my depth on a particular sub-problem, and that i can communicate that. is there a nuanced way to ask for a clarification or a steer without giving the impression i haven't prepared enough? my goal is to demonstrate problem-solving rather than just reciting textbook answers.