What does the expression toeing the line mean?
Meet a standard, abide by the rules, as in The new director will make us toe the line, I’m sure, or At daycare Brian has to toe the mark, but at home his mother’s quite lenient. This idiom refers to runners in a race placing their toes on the starting line and not moving until the starting signal.
What does toe the line mean in the Army?
When you toe the line, you acknowledge what has to be done to fit in with a particular group. If you’re going to make it in the U.S. Army, you’ll have to toe the line during basic training.
What does toe the mark and walk the line mean?
toe the line/mark, to To meet a particular standard; to conform strictly to a rule. The term comes from track, when the runners in a race line up with their toes placed on the starting line or mark. It began to be used figuratively in the early nineteenth century.
Is it tow the line or tow the line?
The correct version of this phrase is always toe the line. The phrase means “follow the rules or obey an authority.” “Tow the line” is a misspelling based on “toe” and “tow” sounding the same, but “tow the line” is always an error.
What does party line mean in politics?
The common phrase toeing the party line describes a person who speaks in a manner that conforms to their political party’s agenda. Likewise, a party-line vote is one in which most or all of the legislators from each political party voted in accordance with that party’s policies.
Where does the phrase towing the line come from?
The most likely origin of the term goes back to the wooden decked ships of the Royal Navy during the late 17th or early 18th century. Barefooted seamen had to stand at attention for inspection and had to line up on deck along the seams of the wooden planks, hence to “toe the line”.
Is it tow the party line or toe the party line?
Reminder: The idiom meaning “to do what is expected” or “to follow the established rules” is correctly spelled “toe the line.” By “toeing the line,” one would make sure to be in position and not to move past a defined mark. This can mean the starting line of a race, a company practice, or a political party doctrine.
How do you tow the line?
Do party lines still exist?
“Party Lines” is an etiquette film for a long-gone part of rural life: the party line. By 2000, according to USA Today, there were still over 5,000 party lines still in existence in the U.S., but the majority of them were hooked up to only one remaining household.
How did a party line work?
A party line was a local telephone loop circuit that was shared by more than one subscriber. There was no privacy on a party line; if you were conversing with a friend, anyone on your party line could pick up their telephone and listen in.
Is it toe the party line or tow the party line?
The correct version of this phrase is always toe the line. The phrase means ‘follow the rules or obey an authority’. ‘Tow the line’ is a misspelling based on ‘toe’ and ‘tow’ sounding the same, but ‘tow the line’ is always an error.
