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Glite Dictionary
✍️ First sentence 💸 First betting odds
opening line

opening line

8 2.8
The first line of a book or article that grabs attention
  • noun
translation icon : frase de apertura
  • The opening line of the novel captured my interest immediately.
  • the opening line of the story
  • read the opening line

And the opening line for that one is all children except one grow up.

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Examples

  • In writing workshops, teachers often emphasize the importance of a strong opening line.

  • Pay close attention to the opening lines of this article.

    Academic text (2011)

  • And the opening line for that one is all children except one grow up.

    EmilyReadsBooks

  • Then, I simply ask them: 'Which is the best opening line to a story?'

    Blog text (4)

  • "Yeah, not a bad opening line for a movie."

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The secret seems to be to make sure your opening lines are on topic.

    Blog text (21)

  • Does anyone know here the opening line of the Iliad?

  • Momaday's awareness of the connection between self and place is demonstrated by the novel's opening lines:

    Academic text (1998)

  • From the opening lines, John personalizes his telling, inserting elements to connect the narrative to his life.

    Academic text (2017)

  • From the opening line, she warns and reassures, "Many things about the story are puzzling."

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

lead-in
vsopening line
  • Literature
9 4.9

A short introduction before the main part of a talk or story

is a single first sentence aimed to attract attention rather than a longer introduction
catchy hook
vsopening line
3.5

An opening line or idea that quickly gets people's attention

is the first sentence that may just introduce the piece rather than grab attention
incipit
vsopening line
  • Literature
9.9

The opening words of a text that are used as its title

is more focused on grabbing the reader's attention than merely marking the start

How Attention-Grabbing

opening line
8 2.8
hook
149 3.4
grabber
  • Literature
4 3.8
lead-in
  • Literature
9 4.9

Surface Forms

opening line singular
opening lines plural

Morphology

opening + line

Although 'opening' clearly conveys 'initial' or 'first', the sense of 'line' required for the MWE (betting odds/point spread) is a specialized, domain-specific meaning not captured by the provided ordinary sense of 'line' (a short message) and not obvious to a B1 learner. Most learners would interpret 'opening line' as the first sentence or a literal line rather than initial betting odds, so the idiomatic betting sense cannot be derived from the constituents without prior exposure.

Etymology

Opening line comes from the image of a door opening, because the very first line of a book or speech 'opens' the story and must grab the reader's attention.