toe the line
obey orders
TRANSLATION
toe the line = sich anpassen, einer Verpflichtung nachkommen --- GOOGLE INDEX toe the line: approximately 13,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The "park-anywhere" attitude by some city police officers has led mayor, James Nxumalo, to warn them to TOE THE LINE – or face losing their privileges, be suspended or even fired.
(The Independent Online, South Africa)
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Father Flannery has written of an era of great openness in the church after Vatican II, when freedom of thought and conscience existed and priests were able to present the message of Christ in a way that addressed the reality of people’s lives. In time, as authority became more centralised in the Vatican, priests were sanctioned, silenced and dismissed because they would not TOE THE LINE.
(The Irish Times)
(The Independent Online, South Africa)
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Father Flannery has written of an era of great openness in the church after Vatican II, when freedom of thought and conscience existed and priests were able to present the message of Christ in a way that addressed the reality of people’s lives. In time, as authority became more centralised in the Vatican, priests were sanctioned, silenced and dismissed because they would not TOE THE LINE.
(The Irish Times)
Did you
know?
toe the line
idiom
- to do what you are ordered or expected to do
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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The origin of "toe the line" has been disputed for decades. Below are a few of the popular theories that have been bandied about by various etymologists and language experts:
- Back in the days when schools and teachers demanded (and usually got) discipline, it was common practice for roll-call to be taken twice a day. This involved having the pupils line up with their toes exactly along a particular line on the floor, while the names are called out for them to respond to indicate their presence.
- It is commonly and wrongly thought that the expression originated in the British House of Commons where sword-strapped members were instructed to stand behind lines that were two sword-lengths apart from their political rivals in order to restore decorum. However, there is no record of a time when Members of Parliament were allowed to bring swords into the Chamber.
- Toe the line has long been attributed to sports, including toeing the starting line in track events or in boxing where fighters were instructed to line up on either side of to start a match. However the earlier boxing term was toeing the scratch, a scratch mark on the floor.
- The most plausible theory 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 were forced to line up on deck along the seams of the wooden planks, hence to "toe the line." On some military parade-grounds there are white lines along which soldiers form up, with their toes just touching the line.
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SYNONYMS
adhere to rules, come to heel, conform, fall in, fall in line, follow the book, obey the rules, stay in line, toe the mark
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We've all learned to toe the line when passing through airport security."
idiom
- to do what you are ordered or expected to do
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
The origin of "toe the line" has been disputed for decades. Below are a few of the popular theories that have been bandied about by various etymologists and language experts:
- Back in the days when schools and teachers demanded (and usually got) discipline, it was common practice for roll-call to be taken twice a day. This involved having the pupils line up with their toes exactly along a particular line on the floor, while the names are called out for them to respond to indicate their presence.
- It is commonly and wrongly thought that the expression originated in the British House of Commons where sword-strapped members were instructed to stand behind lines that were two sword-lengths apart from their political rivals in order to restore decorum. However, there is no record of a time when Members of Parliament were allowed to bring swords into the Chamber.
- Toe the line has long been attributed to sports, including toeing the starting line in track events or in boxing where fighters were instructed to line up on either side of to start a match. However the earlier boxing term was toeing the scratch, a scratch mark on the floor.
- The most plausible theory 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 were forced to line up on deck along the seams of the wooden planks, hence to "toe the line." On some military parade-grounds there are white lines along which soldiers form up, with their toes just touching the line.
---
SYNONYMS
adhere to rules, come to heel, conform, fall in, fall in line, follow the book, obey the rules, stay in line, toe the mark
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"We've all learned to toe the line when passing through airport security."
