Question

What does the idiom 'to read between the lines' mean?

• A. To understand a hidden or implied meaning
• B. To read a text very carefully, word by word
• C. To skim through a text quickly
• D. To translate a text literally

Hint:

Picture the actual blank space between two lines of print, which has no words in it at all. Ask what kind of meaning could exist only in that empty space.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Picture the literal image behind this idiom: on a printed page, the space 'between the lines' contains no text at all, it is blank.
Step 2: Since there are no words physically written in that blank space, understanding something 'between the lines' must mean grasping a meaning that is not directly stated in the visible text, but implied by it.
Step 3: Check the options against this image: 'reading carefully word by word' and 'skimming quickly' both describe how fast or slowly you read the actual written words, not an unwritten meaning. 'Translating literally' also concerns only the written words themselves.
Step 4: Only 'to understand a hidden or implied meaning' matches the idea of finding meaning in the blank space where no words exist.
Correct option: (1) To understand a hidden or implied meaning.