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What does the expression towing the line mean?
“Toe the line” is an idiomatic expression meaning either to conform to a rule or standard, or to stand poised at the starting line in a footrace.
Is toed the line correct?
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.
What does tow 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.
Is it in toe or in tow?
Toe is a noun that refers to one of digits at the end of your foot. Tow can be a verb that means “pull something behind you” (usually with a vehicle) or a noun that refers to the act of towing.
What does toe the party line mean?
to do what someone in authority tells you to do although you may not agree with it.
What’s the meaning of hold the line?
Maintain the existing position or state of
Maintain the existing position or state of affairs. For example, We’ll have to hold the line on spending until our profits rise. This term alludes to former military tactics, in which a line of troops was supposed to prevent an enemy breakthrough. Eventually, it was transferred to civilian enterprises. [ Mid-1900s]
Is it towing or toeing 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.
What does no AXE to grind mean?
idiom. to have a strong personal opinion about something that you want people to accept and that is the reason why you do something: Environmentalists have no political axe to grind – they just want to save the planet. Continually thinking about.
Is it tow the party line or toe the party line?
A: It’s “toe the line” – meaning to conform or accept authority.
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.
What does toe the scratch mean?
prize fighting
Toe the scratch is from prize fighting, where scratch was the line drawn across the ring (often in the earth of an informal outdoor ring) to which the fighters were brought ready for the contest — it’s a close relative of to come up to scratch.
How do you use tow in a sentence?
Examples of tow in a Sentence
Verb The car was towed to the nearest garage after the accident. The police towed my car because it was parked illegally.
How do you use the phrase in tow?
following or going along under someone’s control: She arrived with her three children in tow.
Is in tow a saying?
If you have someone in tow, they are following you closely because you are looking after them or you are leading them somewhere. There she was on my doorstep with child in tow.
Does the party line still exist?
This film offers some advice, mostly through the “what not to do” method — it shows how customers could abuse the system, to potentially disastrous results. Most large phone companies eliminated party lines for good between 1988 and 2000.
What means hoi polloi?
the many
Did you know? In Greek, hoi polloi means simply “the many“. (Even though hoi itself means “the”, in English we almost always say “the hoi polloi”.) It comes originally from the famous Funeral Oration by Pericles, where it was actually used in a positive way.
What does 55 hold the line mean?
hold the line in American English
to stand firm; not permit a breakthrough or retreat.
Where is hold the line used?
not to exceed a certain limit regarding someone or something. Having your wife on the payroll is one thing, but no one else from the family—I will hold the line at her. We have to hold the line at this kind of expenditure. Okay, we’ll hold the line.
Can’t cut the mustard meaning?
What does “cut the mustard” mean? To cut the mustard is “to reach or surpass the desired standard or performance” or more generally “to succeed, to have the ability to do something.” For instance, Beyoncé really cut the mustard in her new song.
What is the meaning of the idiom smell a rat?
Suspect something is wrong
smell a rat. Suspect something is wrong, especially a betrayal of some kind. For example, When I didn’t hear any more from my prospective employer, I began to smell a rat. This expression alludes to a cat sniffing out a rat. [