What is toeing the line mean?

What is 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.

Is it tow or toe the line?

On your mark, get set, go! When you stand ready for a race with your toes on the starting line, you literally toe the line. In fact, people used to say, “Toe your mark, get set, go!” These days, the expression toe the line is more commonly used to refer to doing what’s expected of you, or conforming.

Can you say toeing the line?

Reminder: The idiom meaning “to do what is expected” or “to follow the established rules” is correctly spelled “toe the line.” It’s an expression that was once used at the start of a race, when runners were called to step into the ready position with their toes on the starting line.

Where does the term towing the line come from?

‘Tow the line’ is a misspelling based on ‘toe’ and ‘tow’ sounding the same, but ‘tow the line’ is always an error. The phrase comes from the idea of standing at the starting line before a race (i.e. getting as close as possible without overstepping the mark).

What is the opposite of toe the line?

▲ Opposite of accept the authority, policies, or principles of a particular group, especially unwillingly. misbehave. rebel. transgress.

What’s another way to say toe the line?

In this page you can discover 9 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for toe-the-line, like: fall-in-line, come to heel, fall-in, follow the book, obey the rules, stay in line, toe the mark, conform and adhere to rules.

What does falling in line mean?

Also, fall into line. Adhere to established rules or predetermined courses of action. For example, This idea falls in line with the entire agenda, or It wasn’t easy to get all the tenants to fall into line concerning the rent hike.

What does it mean to toe the line?

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.

What does ‘toe the line’ mean?

‘Toe the line’ means to accept authority. It’s common practice to ask people to line up in these situations and this literally means to stand with your toes on the line on the ground and wait for orders.

Is it ‘toe the line’ or ‘tow the line’?

There is some confusion between ‘toe the line’ and the frequently seen misspelling ‘tow the line’. The ‘tow’ version is no doubt encouraged by the fact that ropes or cables on ships are often called lines and that ‘tow lines’ are commonplace nautical items. The earlier meaning of ‘to toe the line’ was to position one’s toes next to a marked line in order to be ready to start a race, or some other undertaking.

What does the phrase tow the line mean?

Tow the Line. This is an expression that essentially means to be a follower – to go along with the policies of a particular group. However, the correct usage is “toe the line,” which comes from the military practice of putting your feet precisely on a line for inspection.