From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishread between the linesread between the linesMEANINGto guess someone’s real feelings from something they say or write, when they do not tell you directly Reading between the lines, I’d say Robert’s not very happy. → read
Examples from the Corpus
read between the lines• While Anderson did not say directly that changes needed to be made, it was easy to read between the lines.• Frequently it is necessary to read between the lines.• Jody goes over the two faxes again, this time slowly, trying to read between the lines.• Simon presents his story in a typically heroic manner, so I have to read between the lines.• Reading between the lines, I don't think they want to train people who might soon leave the company.• Harriet, reading between the lines, knew exactly what her daughter meant.• So beware: if we were able to read between the lines that easily, so too can your family and friends!• Perseverance is required to understand the story and you have to read between the lines to find the book's full meaning.• Perseverance is required to understand the story and one had to read between the lines to find the book's full meaning.• You will use your powers of anticipation and imagination to read between the lines, to understand message and meaning.• Although the financial side is far from the whole story, you can usually read between the lines very clearly. 