read between the lines

Cultural  

1. To pay attention to what is implied in writing or in speech.

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read between the lines Idioms  

1. Perceive or detect a hidden meaning, as in They say that everything's fine, but reading between the lines I suspect they have some marital problems. This term comes from cryptography, where in one code reading every second line of a message gives a different meaning from that of the entire text. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

"I can read between the lines, bro," he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

What’s far more important is what’s not being said in the movie, which appears when you read between the lines.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

Oftentimes, legal issues arise that require judges to read between the lines of the Constitution and make assumptions about what the Framers intended.

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2025

"I have to read between the lines when they tell me about what's going on."

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025

The reader has to fill in the background—to read between the lines, to connect the dots—and if he doesn’t know which background is applicable, he will be mystified.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker