A320 CREW DID NOT CLARIFY WHETHER THEY WERE CLRED FOR APCH AT CMH.

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WE WERE APPROX 15 MI WNW OF CMH RWY 10L; TALKING TO APCH CTL. I HEARD APCH CLR US TO 4000 FT AND TO 'EXPECT' THE VISUAL FOR RWY 10L. AS I CONTINUED INBOUND; THE CAPT SAID WE WERE CLRED THE VISUAL. I QUERIED HIM ON THIS AS I SAID I THOUGHT APCH SAID 'EXPECT' THE VISUAL. THE CAPT SAID NO; WE WERE CLRED; AT WHICH POINT I TURNED 20 DEGS L AND DSNDED TO THE FAF ALT OF 3000 FT. SHORTLY AFTER WE WERE TURNED OVER TO ANOTHER CTLR WHO WAS TURNING A B727 FROM THE E ONTO THE RWY 10L FINAL. THE CTLR ASKED IF WE HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT AND TO FOLLOW HIM; ADDITIONALLY HE SAID WE WERE 50 KTS FASTER. AT THAT POINT WE WERE 3 MI IN TRAIL. WE DECELERATED AND MADE A NORMAL APCH. I DO NOT BELIEVE WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL; BREAKING BOTH ALT; ASSIGNED HDG; AND POSSIBLY SEPARATION. I KNEW I HEARD EXPECT; AND I QUERIED. THE CAPT SHOULD HAVE CLARIFIED WITH ATC. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE PERSISTENT. THE RELUCTANCE OF CAPTS TO CLARIFY CLRNCS WHEN I HEAR SOMETHING ELSE IS MADDENING. THE FACT THAT ANOTHER CREW MEMBER SAYS HE HEARS SOMETHING ELSE SHOULD BE A RED FLAG; BUT MANY CAPTS; FOR SOME REASON OR ANOTHER; DO NOT WANT TO ASK FOR A REPEAT. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED; BUT I BELIEVE THIS IS THE FIRST POTENTIAL VIOLATION DUE TO RELUCTANCE TO CLARIFY A CLRNC. IT WAS NOT THAT BUSY.