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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

color inside the lines en · VERB

Etymology

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

Meanings

  1. (intransitive) To behave conventionally, to follow the rules.
    • They told us to stay on the trail, but of course Bart never liked to color inside the lines. 2009, Susan Meissner, White Picket Fences: A Novel, →ISBN, page 107:
    • 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. 2006, Jane Johnson, Every Kick Ain't Down II, →ISBN, page 171:
    • 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. 2008, Craig Detweiler, A Purple State of Mind, →ISBN, page 55:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
colored inside the lines Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
colored inside the lines Tense=Past lexicographic
coloring inside the lines Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
colors inside the lines Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Translations (1)

nl binnen de lijntjes kleuren (To behave conventionally, to follow the rules.)