Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

color inside the lines

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.52 in modern English

Syllables: col-or in-sid-e the -lines
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

5

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To behave conventionally, to follow the rules.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Too many don'ts had crimped their creativity and blocked out the wealth of dos. I admire the high standards embraced by my Christian students, but my heart also aches for those who have been raised to simply color inside the lines."
"You see, she had already learned to color inside the lines, that is, be as quiet as she could and try to become invisible to simply blend into the wall until it was safe to come out."
"They told us to stay on the trail, but of course Bart never liked to color inside the lines."

Etymology

A reference to children's coloring books, which contain line drawings to be colored in.

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

colors inside the lines (present, singular) coloring inside the lines (participle, present) colored inside the lines (participle, past) colored inside the lines (past)

Questions

What does color inside the lines mean?: To behave conventionally, to follow the rules.
Where does color inside the lines come from?: A reference to children's coloring books, which contain line drawings to be colored in.

How to pronounce color inside the lines

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