Usage of "broad strokes"

Question

Hi,Is "in broad strokes" a common substitute for "generally, without going into details" in American English?From a native speaker's standpoint, would it sound out of left field if I said these sentences:1. In broad strokes, when a car rams into a bus stop at high speed people inside the car get badly hurt.2. In broad strokes, to draw up a contract, you take a sheet of paper and a pen. In detail, you have to have a lawyer nearby and to be in compos mentis to enter any legal agreements.Thank you in advance for assistance!

Avangi · Accepted Answer

In my opinion, it's not. I usually hear the expression in the context of complimenting someone's style, not as a criticism about lack of detail.
(Maybe I'll change my mind. I seem to be ******** up lately.)

But neither of your examples seemes natural to me. I'd probably use "in general terms," or "generally speaking" in those cases.

MrPernickety · Answer

AvangiI usually hear the expression in the context of complimenting someone's style, not as a criticism about lack of detail.

You mean when I compliment someone on how spiffy/perky they dress/look, I can use "in broad strokes"?

I'm having a hard time coming up with a prime example for this phrase. The best I can manage today is this:

In broad strokes, he looks spiffy today

Could you supplement my lack of imagination and maybe whip up an example of your own, that would contain the "in broad strokes"?

Thanks again!

Avangi · Answer

Sorry, Pernickety. I didn't tie that up very well!

The metaphor obviously alludes to the artist's brush. I should think it would be used figuratively to favorably describe the work of other creators, such as ***'s work in laying out a beautiful sunset, or the grand lines of a Mahler symphony.

I think on the other hand to say that someone paints with too broad a brush would mean they lacked discrimination.

Have you checked out any of the collected examples of great writing? (I'm afraid I haven't yet honed my skills at using them, in spite of Amy's able coaching.)

Edit. I should have said "complimenting someone's creative style."
I may be all wet about this! [N]
His phrases are crafted in broad strokes. (Sucks, dunit??) Maybe, "with broad strokes."

Edit. Maybe you're okay: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/in+broad+strokes

So in these cases, you use the expression to describe how a person does something.

He told her in broad strokes what he thought of her.

30 million Google hits, but it's not one of my expressions.

MrPernickety · Answer

Hi, Avangi

Thanks for taking pains to explain the phrase, I appreciate your efforts.

AvangiHave you checked out any of the collected examples of great writing? (I'm afraid I haven't yet honed my skills at using them, in spite of Amy's able coaching.)

You mean this mother lode of examples of American writing?

www.americancorpus.org

If you do, then yes, I checked it out the first thing. To my disappointemnt it is not teeming with examples containing "in broad strokes" - the search I ran turned up all of 37 samples, some of which allude directly to the process of painting, such as this one:

he will sweat the specifics for a boss who likes to paint in broad strokes

AvangiHis phrases are crafted in broad strokes. (Sucks, dunit??) Maybe, "with broad strokes."

I like it!

Avangi30 million Google hits, but it's not one of my expressions.

I'll go with your gut on this one. I think I would do better to swear off this expression as it may raise a few eyebrows.

Visceraly I understand the expression and know that it alludes to an artist and his brush and the way he paints, without giving much cogitation to details, just trying to cover as much surface of the painting as he can in as few strokes as possible.

PS:

I stumbled across this expression this morning, while playing a game on my cell phone. The game is called "idioms" and pursuant to its rules you are given an idiom with some of its letters missing and you're required to recognize it and write it out and you get points for correctly recognized idioms.

While playing, I ran into some idioms that are far and away British, like this one (at least according to the dictionary): "to queer your pitch". (I am cognizant of a meaning of the word "queer" but it hardly fits the context of this idiom. LOL.)

Delmobile · Answer

I think I might use this expression to mean that somebody doesn't focus on details. Whether that would be a compliment or not depends on the issue at hand.

You know how Michael [the director of the organization] is. He likes to do everything in broad strokes. It's up to the rest of us to worry about the petty details, like where the money's going to come from.

He has a gift for outlining something with a few broad strokes that give you a complete sense of the project and its goals.

Re: queer the pitch - this may be one of the few cases in which you can still employ the once perfectly useful word "queer" without the PC police dragging you off. I'm sure I've heard "queer the deal," which I think is the American version of this idiom, recently. (I just googled and found a headline using "queer the deal" to refer to the recent Prop. 8 vote on gay marriage in California - clearly a pun.)

Avangi · Answer

Right on, Del.

I also recall from my reading of the comics in the early forties, "A boodle of queer," which meant, "a quantity of counterfeit bills."

BTW, Pernickety,

He told her in broad strokes what he thought of her.

This doesn't mean he whopped her.

MrPernickety · Answer

AvangiHe told her in broad strokes what he thought of her.

This doesn't mean he whopped her.

You mean "stroke" as in "hit, an act of striking"?

Avangi · Answer

Yes.  (I hate violent people   -   except when they're defending me.)

Usage of "broad strokes"

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