The lines marking the sides of a sports field; or to remove someone from active participation in something.
Compound of 'side' and 'line,' originating from sports fields in the 1800s. The verb meaning (to bench or exclude) came later from the literal idea of standing on the side rather than in the action.
The word 'sidelines' is uniquely powerful because it captures both the physical boundary of athletic fields AND the feeling of being excluded—which is why coaches, managers, and anyone in power use this sports language when they want to remove people from important decisions.
Sport/work contexts: women historically pushed to sidelines; metaphor reinforces exclusion from active participation and decision-making.
Use neutrally; when describing exclusion, be explicit ('excluded from', 'removed from') rather than euphemistic.
["excluded","removed from participation"]
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