by-numbers

Added to the end of a word to suggest that the word is done without much thought and doesn't/didn't require much actual skill or effort. Derived from the Paint-By-Numbers that we all enjoyed during our childhood.

Troilus: Wow, Eggers is sure using some sweet moves on that chick Rebomblette!
Fusto: Nah, she'll see right through him - it's just nice-guy-by-numbers.

by-numbers by Eggers07 January 4, 2008

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

cook by numbers

A meal that requires nothing more than pushing numbers on the microwave. Often times a frozen dinner or leftovers.

Mark's parents were out of town, so he had to cook by numbers.

cook by numbers by Erik Belsaas March 10, 2006

color by numbers 

someone or something that is easy as can be.

that chick is so color by numbers that as soon as she hears a zipper she's ready to blow.

That test was so color by numbers that we all received an A on it.

color by numbers by The Ferndog October 10, 2008

Woke by numbers

A combination of 'woke' and 'painting by numbers'.
A personality or a cultural product that cautiously mimes textbook approaches to being 'woke' while in actuality conforming to a rigid ideological agenda based on restricting free thought and actual radical gestures, movements and solutions.
This can also apply to the curation of personalities and concepts that truly are progressive based solely on their utility towards creating the false appearance of a progressive values.

This exhibition seems very diverse but really it's just woke by numbers.

Woke by numbers by eruboner September 17, 2018

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

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