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Glite Dictionary
on the lines of

on the lines of

3.7
Like an earlier example in style and form
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : a la manera de
  • Were Castro to respond to any stirrings of independent political organization with massive repression on the lines of the Polish government's repression of Solidarity in 1981, there can be little doubt that the Vatican would, as it did in Poland, support economic sanctions against Cuba.

Examples

  • The movie is made on the lines of classic romantic comedies from the 90s.

  • Her artwork is often created on the lines of Van Gogh's unique style.

  • The new restaurant is designed on the lines of the famous cafe in Paris.

Synonyms

like
vson the lines of
534 1.0

Having a similar appearance or quality

means being inspired by or following an example, not only resembling
akin to
vson the lines of
72 3.9

Similar in feeling or quality to something

focuses on deliberate following of an example rather than mere similarity
along the lines of
vson the lines of
60 3.9

Similar in style or idea to something

is more about being inspired by and following an example

Antonyms

unrelated
94 3.5

Not connected to the topic or cause

dissimilar
17 3.8

Different in appearance or nature

How Similar

identical
237 2.9
on the lines of
  • UK
3.7

Surface Forms

on the lines of main

Morphology

on + the + line + of

The meaning 'similar to; in the manner of' can be partly inferred from 'line' used metaphorically as a guideline combined with the prepositions 'on' and 'of', but this requires a non-literal extension of 'line' to mean 'way' or 'style'. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'en la línea de', French 'dans la lignée de') make the metaphor somewhat recognizable, yet a B1 learner who only knows the basic literal senses may not reliably predict the exact idiomatic sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

On the lines of comes from the idea of copying a pattern or drawing: imagine tracing along the picture's lines to make the same shape. That's why if you make something on the lines of another thing, it means 'similar to' or 'in the manner of'.