Some phrases don't mean exactly what they say, and the idiom "reading between the lines", is no exception. It doesn't involve looking for hidden text on a page. It's about discovering meaning that isn't directly written. Below is a short story imagined in a classroom setting showing how one student learned what this phrase really means.
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The teacher stands at the front of the room. Students all quietly seated at their desks, each one with a worksheet just handed out. Ivy is studying their worksheet, frowning.
The teacher says to the class. “Right then everyone, read the passage and try to work out what the author really means.”
Slowly, the teacher walks past Ivy’s desk, gently encouraging them, “Remember, read between the lines.”
The teacher strolled on. Ivy continued to stare at the paper, confused.
Ivy whispered to herself, “Between the lines?”
She leant closer to the page, squinting hard at the same time. She turns the paper sideways, and then over to the other side.
“There’s nothing there, except blank space,” Ivy murmurs to herself.
Clara, sitting nearby, realises Ivy’s having difficulty with the task set. “What's the matter Ivy? Are you alright?”
Ivy replies quietly, “The teacher said to read between the lines, but there’s literally nothing written there.”
Clara smiles, “No, it’s just one of those phrases that's not literal.”
“Then why say it like that?” Ivy asks curiously.
Clara replies kindly. “Because sometimes meanings are hidden. Authors don't say everything directly.”
Ivy turns back and looks again at the worksheet. “So the blank parts. Now that’s what we mean by implied meaning?”
“Exactly,” Clara praises. “Tone, word choice, anything missing.”
Ivy’s face brightens. “Ah, I think I'm beginning to get it now, “reading between the lines” means figuring out the hidden meaning.”
The teacher then calls out from the front. “Does everyone understand it now?”
“Yes!” Ivy replies, sounding more confident. “I think so.”
And so they begin writing, nodding to themselves.
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