thick line; broad-brush approach; rough outline
Meanings
3 senses · 9 examplesnoun
thick line; outline drawn with thick lines
Literal meaning in drawing or sketching.
The painter first sketched the general outline with thick lines.
The thick lines in this painting give a strong sense of power.
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Children's drawings often use thick lines.
noun
broad-brush; rough-and-ready; coarse (of character, style, or method)
Metaphorical use describing a person's temperament or a way of doing things that is not detailed or refined.
He is a rough-and-ready person who doesn't pay much attention to details.
You can't be too broad-brush when doing things; you need to be more careful.
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This broad-brush management style is not suitable for meticulous scientific research.
noun
rough outline; sketchy concept (of an article, plan, etc.)
Metaphorical use describing the preliminary, non-detailed stage of writing or planning.
I only have a rough outline of the idea at the moment; the details haven't been worked out yet.
The report first lays out a rough sketch, and then specific content is added.
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This plan is still at the rough outline stage.