Showing results for sign on the dotted line. Search instead for signed on the dotted line.

sign on the dotted line

Idioms

Agree formally or fully, as in The deal is just about fixed; all they have to do is sign on the dotted line. This idiom refers to the broken line traditionally appearing at the bottom of a legal document, indicating the place for one's signature. [Early 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s probably overegging the pudding — I’d be surprised if that many attendees signed on the dotted line — but in the end, it’s a numbers game.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026

Deputy leader Paul Miller said the council had received "a positive number of expressions of interest" but "no one has signed on the dotted line yet".

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2023

How many times over the course of this series have the principals actually signed on the dotted line?

From New York Times • Mar. 26, 2023

But it would be wrong to roll one’s eyes at those who haven’t yet signed on the dotted line.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2021

When his agent had first suggested the trip, he had signed on the dotted line without an instant's hesitation.

From The Clicking of Cuthbert by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023