read between the lines
Formsreads between the lines, reading between the lines, read between the lines
- 1To work out a meaning that is suggested or implied rather than stated openly.
Like hearing what a long pause in a conversation says as clearly as the words around it.
Her letter sounded cheerful, but reading between the lines, I sensed she was lonely.
Investors who read between the lines of the quarterly report saw trouble ahead.
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Origin
The phrase probably comes from glosses and commentaries written between the lines of a text, which gave the reader additional information that was not explicitly stated in the words themselves.