inside out

1. With the inner surface turned out or revealed, as in He wore his shirt inside out . This expression dates from about 1600 and was soon used figuratively, as in He turned the verses inside out and revealed their hidden sense .

2. Extremely well, thoroughly, especially alluding to knowing something. For example, He knows this system inside out . [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Instead, he goes deep, building tension quietly from the inside out.

From Los Angeles Times

The crime he’s committed will only send him back to where, in Leroy’s own pained words, “they take the colored man to kill him from the inside out.”

From Los Angeles Times

Fifteen minutes in, the fire burned from the inside out, roaring through the walls and roof.

From Los Angeles Times

Thank God that we had people that really understood from the inside out who we were, so it didn’t just feel robotic.

From Los Angeles Times

Then Ava reverts to their old dynamic, turning inside out in her efforts to make the best show possible.

From Salon