Weeks ago, we received a question from @NezarPrakasa: “the use of the word “line” in various English songs.” There are indeed many different uses of the word “line.” So, today we are going to discuss idioms using “line”!
- A fine/thin line. Meaning: there is a close similarity (kemiripan sangat) between the two things.
- Example:
- “There is a fine line between eccentricity and craziness.”
- Example:
- Along the lines of. Meaning: also means similarity, but used differently to ‘thin/fine line’. More like “kurang lebih seperti/tentang …”
- Example:
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A: Did he just tell you to resign?
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B: I can’t remember the exact words, but it’s something along the lines.
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- Example:
- Ass on the line. Meaning: about to be blamed when things go wrong. A very informal idiom, don’t use it in formal settings.
- Example:
- “If you do anything wrong, then your parents’ asses are on the line.”
- Example:
- Read between lines. Meaning: seeing what is not seen on the outside, seeing the context; seeing what’s behind it. That also answered @hirena95 ‘s question. “The flaws between lines” mean “the flaws behind it
- Example:
- “If you try to read between the lines, you’ll see that she’s not really interested in him at the first place.”
- Example:
- Bottom line. Meaning: the final outcome.
- Example:
- “Can you please tell me about the bottom line of the meetings? I had to miss some parts of it.”
- Example:
- Be out of line. Meaning: not suitable; shouldn’t have been done; more than expected.
- Example:
- “The way he spoke to her about her boyfriend is out of the line.”
- Example:
- Down the line. Meaning: something that will happen after some time (kemudian hari).
- Example:
- “I would love to be married but that’s a few years down the line.”
- Example:
- Draw the line. Meaning: setting a limit to something.
- Example:
- “You are free to do whatever you want, but you need to draw the line somewhere.”
- Example:
- Drop a line. Meaning: writing a short letter to someone.
- Example:
- “I would love to hear more about your business. Please drop me a line and let me know when we can meet.”
- Example:
There are so many idioms using the word “line”, and the way it is being used varies. We’ll continue this subject next week!
Compiled and written by @animenur for @EnglishTips4U on Sunday, 10 Aug 2014.
RELATED POST(S):
- #IOTW: Idioms with “Line”
- #IOTW: Idioms with the word ‘Way’
- #IOTW: Idioms with ‘Penny’
- #IOTW: Idioms with ‘peace’
- #IOTW: Idioms with the word ‘make’
^MD
