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out of line
Uncalled for, improper; inappropriate. For example, His remarks were totally out of line . It is often put as get out of line or step out of line , meaning “behave improperly,” as in She really stepped out of line when she called him incompetent in front of his boss . [Late 1700s]
Not in agreement with general practice, as in Their prices are way out of line with other hotels . Both def. 1 and 2 are metaphoric expressions that transfer being out of alignment to various kinds of behavior.
out of one's line ; not in one's line . Not in one's occupation or field of interest. For example, He offered a generous salary, but the work was out of her line , or I'd love to help, but telephone solicitation is not in my line . This usage alludes to line in the sense of “a business or occupation.” [Mid-1800s]
Example Sentences
It wasn’t out of line with the people I was hanging out with, or the spirit of 1970.
Obama also slammed congressional Republicans, whom he said "refuse to buck the president even when they know he is out of line."
Holt noted that the city made sure that its bed-tax rate wouldn’t be out of line compared to competing municipalities.
“I’m in the 10-items-or-less line, and I’ve got 15. The shopper behind me is understandably irate and proceeds to push me out of line,” Rep. Ari Abraham Porth said.
That wasn’t out of line with her immediate predecessor, but it was a smaller margin for error than has been common since the current framework for budgeting was put in place in 2010.
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