toe the line
English translation: to obey the rules down to the last letter
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| 23:02 Jan 13, 2003 |
| English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO] Art/Literary | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Arthur Borges China Local time: 19:56 | ||||||
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Answers
1 min confidence: 
to obey the rules completely. Explanation: to fully comply with all orders -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2003-01-13 23:10:15 (GMT) -------------------------------------------------- e.g. \"Tom had great ideas but sometimes he went too far, when management tried to make him toe the line, he quit before they fired him.\" -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2003-01-13 23:12:35 (GMT) -------------------------------------------------- An alternate idiom is \"to walk the straight \'n\' narrow (path)\". |
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1 min confidence:
to adhere to the opinions / leadership of others Explanation: to stick with the team team spirit -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2003-01-13 23:05:11 (GMT) -------------------------------------------------- not to get out of line; -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2003-01-13 23:14:11 (GMT) -------------------------------------------------- picture: like a dog on a lead following his owner on the line :-)) |
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2 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1to do what one is expected to do Explanation: Or follow the rules -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2003-01-13 23:10:33 (GMT) -------------------------------------------------- If you are asked toe the line the you are expected to conform to the rules of the situation. In one suggested origin the Line actually exists and is found in the House of Commons. It was put there to mark the sword distance between Government and Opposition front benches. Members were told to toe the line if, in the eyes of the Speaker, they became too excited. A less romantic possible basis is found in athletics where the runners in a race line up with their toes on the line. The US navy has a completely different origin. From their web site comes: The space between each pair of deck planks in a wooden ship was filled with a packing material called \"oakum\" and then sealed with a mixture of pitch and tar. The result, from afar, was a series of parallel lines a half-foot or so apart, running the length of the deck. Once a week, as a rule, usually on Sunday, a warship\'s crew was ordered to fall in at quarters -- that is, each group of men into which the crew was divided would line up in formation in a given area of the deck. To insure a neat alignment of each row, the Sailors were directed to stand with their toes just touching a particular seam. Another use for these seams was punitive. The youngsters in a ship, be they ship\'s boys or student officers, might be required to stand with their toes just touching a designated seam for a length of time as punishment for some minor infraction of discipline, such as talking or fidgeting at the wrong time. A tough captain might require the miscreant to stand there, not talking to anyone, in fair weather or foul, for hours at a time. Hopefully, he would learn it was easier and more pleasant to conduct himself in the required manner rather than suffer the punishment. From these two uses of deck seams comes our cautionary word to obstreperous youngsters to \"toe the line.\" http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/12/messages/697.html American Idioms |
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2 mins confidence:
do what you are told to do, follow the rules Explanation: Hello zebung, Good luck and greetings from Oso ¶:^) Reference: http://home.t-online.de/home/toni.goeller/idiom_wm/idioms639... |
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10 mins confidence:
to not deviate from the rules one iota Explanation: The expression has to do with the beginning of a race, where the runner is to place his/her toes exactly asgainst the line. |
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