read between the lines

Fig. to infer something (from something else); to try to understand what is meant by something that is not written explicitly or openly. After listening to what she said, if you read between the lines, you can begin to see what she really means. Don't believe every thing you read literally. Learn to read between the lines.

to find a hidden meaning in something said or written The report doesn't criticize the research directly, but you can read between the lines that the review committee wasn't impressed.

to try to understand someone's real feelings or intentions from what they say or write Reading between the lines, I'd say that Martin isn't very happy with the situation.

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]

To perceive or detect an obscure or unexpressed meaning: learned to read between the lines of corporate annual reports to discern areas of fiscal weakness.

Infer an unexpressed meaning. An early method of transmitting written coded messages was to write the secret information in invisible ink between the lines of a document. The recipient would then learn the information by reading between the lines. The phrase came to mean gaining an insight in the context of reading something into another person's words or behavior—and often both. For example, you, your spouse, and teenage son are invited to a family gathering. Your son's reaction when he heard the news was to stare at the floor and mutter, “Well, okay if I gotta.” Reading between the lines, you'd say that he's not crazy about going.