Where does the phrase along the lines of come from, and what are you really saying?
For instance, if you were commissioning a sculpture you might sit down with the artist and a pen and paper and say
I want something along the lines of this
and then draw a sketch.
Or if you were describing a book you wanted you might say
The plot was something along the lines of a murder and a police man.
Best Answer
The phrase means:
There is some discussion of its origins here, noting:
To say that "The plot was something along the lines of a murder and a police man" means that the plot line of the novel was something similar to a murder with a policeman. Or, if you're designing a sculpture and have an idea in mind, you can sketch it out and say you want something along those lines--that is, you want "something like this".