Reader's question: In that vein, some ERP analysts lay partial blame for ERP's spiraling costs at the feet of CIOs, who have aided and abetted vendors' addiction to maintenance fees, for instance. Could you explain “in that vein”?

My comments:

"In that vein" means in that particular way, according to that particular line of thinking, using that kind of logic, etc.

Vein is a thin line, either one of the thin lines on a piece of wood or marble or a blood vessel through which blood flows from the heart to other parts of your body.

Hence this usage, of the vein representing a particular way or style of something. It’s often seen in phrases such as “in the same vein” or “in a similar vein”.

Example 1: “Veoh.com is a video hosting website in the same vein as (similar to) Youtube.com.”

Example 2: “Are there any artists in a similar vein (of similar style) available?”

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Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.