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I think “toes the line” is an expression literally meaning, “To advance to the start of a race.” From there, we get the idea of participating in something, and
by braythwayt 11y ago
I think “toes the line” is an expression literally meaning, “To advance to the start of a race.” From there, we get the idea of participating in something, and from there we get conforming to rules or standards.
As in, “Raganwald has a potty mouth in person, but he toes the line and respects HN’s guidelines for civil discussion."
- dhimes 11y agoI understand that the term is nautical: http://www.seatalk.info/cgi-bin/nautical-marine-sailing-dictionary/db.cgi?db=db&uid=default&FirstLetter=t&sb=Term&view_records=View+Records&nh=4 http://www.seatalk.info/cgi-bin/nautical-marine-sailing-dict...
- braythwayt 11y agoThere seems to be some uncertainty about its origins, with some saying sports, many cite “toeing the plank,” and a few other explanations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_the_line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_the_line