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Strictly speaking, 'toe the line' in this case doesn't make sense either. A runner 'toeing the line' is trying to get as close as possible without overstepping
by alienicecream 3y ago
Strictly speaking, 'toe the line' in this case doesn't make sense either. A runner 'toeing the line' is trying to get as close as possible without overstepping it. The analogy would be if Tim Cook was criticizing the CCP as much as he could without actually crossing them. But he's not doing that, or OP claims he isn't, and that he's doing the opposite, enthusiastically. So even if 'tow the line' is wrong in the sense that's not a recognized idiom, it's more right in the sense that the image of someone pulling weight for somebody else is more like what OP claims that Tim Cook is doing.
- gnu8 3y agoThe runner crosses the line once the starting gun fires. See it as coming up to the line that one is expected to be at, rather than edging close to a border that one is expected not to overstep.
- alienicecream 3y agoOk, I still don't think it makes much sense. The line in a race is set up for fairness to the runners and spectators, not to advantage the authorities. So stepping up to the line doesn't serve the authorities unduly, which is the claim made against Tim Cook. Also, the runner does not have a more honorable alternative. Running in the bleachers doesn't serve him better in some way than running on the track from the starting line. Pulling a weight for someone else as in the image of 'towing the line' still fits better in this case.
- gnu8 3y agoA better idiom for your use case might be ‘carry water’. Saying Tim Cook carries water for the CCP would be to say he does the work of the CCP, equivalent to towing a load. However, I think this is a stronger phrase than what the original commenter intended.