paint-by-numbers
adjective
formulaic; showing no original thought or creativity
Word Origin for paint-by-numbers
C20: from children's painting books in which the colours to be used are identified by numbers on the design to be painted
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Examples from the Web for paint-by-numbers
Contemporary Examples of paint-by-numbers
Many Republican wags, such as David Frum and Erick Erickson, are already onto the Boehner paint-by-numbers game of the “Pledge.”
