# read between the lines

Pronunciation: say "reed bi-tween thuh LYNZ" US /ˌɹid bɪˌtwin ðə ˈlaɪnz/, UK /ˌɹiːd bɪˌtwiːn ðə ˈlaɪnz/; AUS say "REED bi-tween thuh LYNZ"

## Idiom

1. To work out a meaning that is suggested or implied rather than stated openly.
   - Simple: To understand a meaning that someone hints at but does not say directly.
   - _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._

## 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/read-between-the-lines (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).