Paint by Numbers 

Referring to something that lacks sophistication or originality. Typically describing a crudely made product of art.

That action film was such a cliche. It was clearly a paint by numbers.

Paint by Numbers by HitchSlapper February 21, 2018

Paint by Numbers 

The artistic equivalent of ordering a McDonald’s meal instead of going through the hassle of doing your own cooking at home.

Just as you can enjoy the food prepared by a gourmet chef even if you’re a hopeless cook, so you can appreciate a piece of art even if you’re clumsy at handling a “Paint by Numbers” kit.

Paint by Numbers by MathPlus January 8, 2019

Paint By Numbers 

A person, usually female who wears enough make-up to resemble a painting. Due to the specificity of make-up locations, it becomes a paint-by-numbers picture where certain colors go to a certain point.

Dude, did you see Jody's make-up tonight?

Yeah man, she looked like a total paint by numbers

Paint By Numbers by The professor98 June 15, 2011

Paint-by-Numbers Math

The way 99.99% students worldwide are taught math in school, with everyone painting the same way, and the few who refuse to conform are ridiculed or marginalized—being an odd in a sea of evens often comes with a stigmatizing price tag or a negative label.

Those who refuse to see “math as problem-solving” (read as “math as rote-learning”) in a first class economy should be prepared to be sacrificed as a dead chicken to scare the monkeys—the paint-by-numbers math strategy is good enough for most Asian high-GDP countries to be ranked among the top ten in international comparative studies like PISA and TIMSS, and to win a few dozen medals at math contests and competitions.

Paint-by-Numbers Math by Covido July 11, 2022