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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
The Canadian firm apologised for the display, saying it was "out of line with Arc'teryx's values".
“And you didn’t tell Sharon you were going to do something and not do it, because you would get blacklisted. You just knew not to mess with Sharon, ever. I always thought that that was a great thing, because it’s really nice to actually know where you stand with people. And know that if you get out of line, the hammer is going to drop.”
"These district court judges have been totally out of line and out of control," argues Jeff Anderson.
The tweets, obviously out of line with Elmo’s regular playful programming on social media, naturally went viral as users circulated screenshots of the disturbing posts.
Much of the conversation around the bill has centered on the fact that Republicans have a new and fragile coalition, one that finally includes a huge number of poor and working-class Americans whose interests are well out of line with those of the wealthy elite, to whom the GOP has long catered.
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