This phrase, generally used as a crossword puzzle clue, usually factors to phrases or phrases signifying unconventionality, creativity, or a disregard for established norms. Examples of options would possibly embody “rebellious,” “unorthodox,” “modern,” or “free-spirited.” The clue depends on the metaphorical understanding of staying throughout the strains as adhering to guidelines and expectations.
The clue’s effectiveness stems from its evocative imagery. It faucets right into a shared cultural understanding of childhood coloring books, the place staying throughout the strains represents conformity and neatness, whereas coloring exterior them suggests a extra imaginative and fewer restricted method. This readily understood metaphor permits the clue to be concise but wealthy with that means, successfully guiding the solver in direction of the supposed reply. Its continued look in crossword puzzles highlights its enduring resonance and talent to attach with solvers of varied backgrounds. The usage of this metaphor in broader cultural contexts underscores its energy to convey the idea of nonconformity in a concise and accessible method.
