(somewhere) along the line

/sˈʌmweəɹ ɔːɹ ɐlˈɒŋ ðə lˈaɪn/

/sˈʌmwɛɹ ɔːɹ ɐlˈɑːŋ ðə lˈaɪn/

[phrase]

[PHRASE]

at an unspecified point during a series of events or a process

What is the origin of the idiom "along the line" and when to use it?

The idiom "along the line" likely originated in the United States during the early 20th century. Though it is not known exactly where it came from, people commonly use it in casual conversations to talk about a specific moment in time or a stage in a process where something happened or changed. This phrase is typically used when one is not sure about the exact when or where of a particular event or change.

Examples

1. Yeah, it's called Founders for Change and I think, along the same lines, we want so much of America, so much of Silicon Valley is based on this idea of equal opportunity and I think all of us want the Valley and tech to be a place where that is true.

2. The rise of the kind barque, I think, is really along the same lines where we saw that really explode around that time.

3. Each time they split open again, they tend to crack along the same lines, but just like the cracks in lava, they will also cut corners until the T shapes have evolved into Ys.

4. We’re sticking to specifics of the US here, but plenty of other countries differentiate these flavors along the same lines, so you’ll see similar claims on their food packaging.