read between the lines

1. To pay attention to what is implied in writing or in speech.

Idioms and Phrases

Perceive or detect a hidden meaning, as in They say that everything's fine, but reading between the lines I suspect they have some marital problems . This term comes from cryptography, where in one code reading every second line of a message gives a different meaning from that of the entire text. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

“We have to sift through different layers of information and try to read between the lines to actually find out about the exact nature of the collections and where they are from.”

From BBC

In the absence of any official Israeli comment, a certain amount of reading between the lines is needed.

From BBC

It was left for the American people to read between the lines.

From BBC

If you read between the lines, the GOP’s platform is not about moderation.

From Los Angeles Times

But reading between the lines, it says a lot about his feelings towards the series.

From Salon