Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Read between the lines
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Read between the lines" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourProblem Solving & Interaction collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Read between the lines
To look for a hidden meaning or understand something that is not stated directly in a piece of writing, speech, or situation.
History & Origin
The idiom originates from the practice of cryptography and secret writing, specifically steganography. In early espionage, spies would write coded messages in invisible ink (like lemon juice) within the blank spaces between the lines of an ordinary, harmless letter. To discover the true message, the recipient literally had to read what was written between the visible lines.
Examples
When the boss said the company is restructuring to improve efficiency, if you read between the lines, it means layoffs are coming.
Sarah said she was totally fine with me going to the party without her, but reading between the lines, I could tell she was actually upset.
To fully comprehend the political climate of the era, historians must read between the lines of government-censored newspapers.
If you read between the lines of the diplomatic statement, both nations are far from reaching a trade agreement despite their polite wording.
The prime minister did not explicitly mention the upcoming tax hikes, but if you read between the lines of his address, the intent is clear.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. I lost my glasses, so I had to read between the lines of the book to see the small font clearly.
B. Although his letter was brief and polite, if you read between the lines, you can tell he is deeply unhappy with the arrangement.
C. The teacher told us to read between the lines of the poem because the printer ran out of ink on those pages.
D. Please read between the lines of the contract carefully and sign your name on the bottom line.