color inside the lines
Stay within edges
To color inside the lines is to follow rules and conventions, staying within established boundaries.
The phrase comes from children's coloring books, where staying inside the printed outlines is considered proper technique.
It usually carries slight disapproval—someone who colors inside the lines is safe, compliant, maybe unimaginative: He's not the creative type; he colors inside the lines.
- fillMake something full
- artistic disciplinePracticed creative pursuit
- play it safeAvoid unnecessary chances
- rulesPrinciples governing behavior
- behavioral normsExpected patterns of conduct
obedience · discipline · societal rules · conventionality · compliance · good behavior · edge · neat · precision · border · framework · straight and narrow · peer pressure · careful · groupthink · structure · orderliness · conformity
- social conformityconformist, peer pressure, herd mentality, groupthink, follow the crowd
color inside the linescolor outside the lines
Disregard established boundaries creatively
freehand · improvise · think outside the box · break the mold · freestyle
color inside the linesbreak the rules
color outside the lines · rebel · go against the grain · march to one's own drummer · bend the rules
color inside the linestake risks
Accept uncertain outcomes willingly
throw caution to the wind · live dangerously · go out on a limb · roll the dice · live on the edge
color, colour, colors, colours, colored, coloured, coloring, colouring, colorful