what does it mean to hold someone across the line

Idiom pregnant "to adjust to a rule or standard"

"Toe the line" is an idiomatic expression meaning either to conform to a dominion or standard, or to stand poised at the starting line in a footrace. Other phrases which were in one case used in the early 1800s and have the same meaning were "toe the mark" and "toe the plank".

Origins [edit]

The expression has disputed origins, though the ii primeval known appearances in print are from the British Army, and the third from the Majestic Navy. Those suggested are from public school, the armed services, Bare Knuckle Boxing, or perhaps the British House of Commons.

Armed forces [edit]

In the primeval known appearance of the phrase in print, The Army Regulator, 1738, an officer forming ranks of soldiers says: "Silence you lot dogs, toe the line...".^[1]

The phrase adjacent appeared in 1775's An Easy Plan of Discipline for a Militia, in which parading soldiers are instructed to "...bring their toes to the line c g, at the second footstep they toe the line c h..." ^[2]

The phrase appeared every bit a naval term in 1831, describing events of 1803: "..on the quarter deck we were arranged in a line, each with his toes at the border of a plank..." to exist subjected to "scoldings technically called 'toe-the-line' matches.' " ^[iii]

The phrase "toeing a line" appeared in Captain Maryatt's story "Poor Jack" which was published in several American newspapers in 1841. It refers to the coiffure of a ship being marshaled and inspected by a Lieutenant.^[4]

The nearly likely origin of the term goes back to the wooden decked ships of the Royal Navy during the late 17th or early 18th century. Barefooted seamen had to stand up at attending for inspection and had to line upward on deck along the seams of the wooden planks, hence to "toe the line".^[five] The first mention of this utilize in literature stems from a story near navy life widely published in 1831 and written by Helm Basil Hall RN.^[6] Hall served in the Majestic Navy from 1802.

On some war machine parade-grounds there are white lines marked, along which soldiers course upward, with their toes but touching the line.

Schoolhouse [edit]

It is common practice in many long-established schools for roll-call to be taken twice a day, at which the pupils line upwardly with their toes exactly along a detail line on the floor, while their names are chosen out for them to answer to, indicating their presence.^{[ citation needed ]}

Reference to toeing the line in schools appeared in 1845: "...the grade formed themselves, 'toed the line'..." ^[7]

House of Commons [edit]

It is commonly and erroneously thought that its origins prevarication in the British House of Eatables 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. Nonetheless, there is no record of a time when Members of Parliament were allowed to bring swords into the Bedchamber. Historically, only the Serjeant at Artillery carries a sword as a symbol of his role in Parliament. There are loops of pink ribbon in the Members' cloakroom for MPs to hang up their swords earlier entering the Chamber to this very day every bit a result of this rule. In fact, there were not any lines in the Bedchamber in the days that gentlemen carried swords.^[8]

Boundary line [edit]

A slightly dissimilar use of the term was establish in an 1816 mag, which stated, The Thalweg of the Rhine shall toe the line of separation betwixt France and the German States; ....^[9] The meaning in this context was marked the line of separation.

An earlier 1813 publication had used the term toe the mark which had the same pregnant as toe the line'due south modern usage, where the author wrote He began to think it was high time to toe the mark. ^[10] An 1828 publication also used toe the plank with a like meaning.^[11]

Other suggested origins [edit]

Over the years the term has been attributed to sports, including toeing the starting line in rail events and toeing a center line in boxing, where boxers were instructed to line up on either side of to showtime a lucifer. Nonetheless, the before boxing term was toeing the scratch, referring to a scratch mark on the floor. One of the primeval references related to an English language prize fight in 1840.^[12]

Byam Shaw's painting Toeing the Line, depicting a scene at Ascot, alludes to information technology being a term used in equus caballus racing.

Misspelling every bit "tow the line" [edit]

"Toe the line" is often misspelled "tow the line", substituting a familiar verb "tow" for the unfamiliar exact use of "toe." "Tow" does not accord with any of the proposed etymologies, then "tow the line" is a linguistic eggcorn.^{[13] [xiv]}

Modern usage [edit]

Its modernistic-twenty-four hour period use includes the context of partisan or factional politics, every bit in, "He's toeing the party line," the context of athletics where it describes runners poised at the starting line, and in the context of behavior where the miscreant is expected to "toe the line." The first published use in a political context was in March 1826, where Willie Mangum of the United States House of Representatives proposed that "every member might 'toe the mark'."^[15] The behavioral use also stems from effectually that time.

The term continues to exist used in the context of cross-state and rail and field running, although sometimes also symbolically in bicycle races to be at your mark along the starting line before a race.^{[sixteen] [17] [18]}

Besides its quite literal use in middle and long-distance running, the term is still in literal use in the war machine, especially the United states of america Army. Some barracks take ii solid lines, each approximately three inches wide and placed v anxiety autonomously, either taped or painted, running downwards the center of the entire length of their floor. The soldiers are ordered to "toe the line". At this command they stop their activities and line upward with their toes on the line.^[nineteen]

In the game of darts, many places where it is played accept a line marked on the floor that shows the closest indicate that the player may stand when launching darts at the dartboard.

In 1946 the author George Orwell explicitly disparaged the idiomatic use of the phrase equally an case of "worn-out metaphors which have lost all evocative ability and are merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves."^[20]

The expression is used in a Beatles song—"Trying just to make you toe the line" in 1965's "Run for Your Life"—and is the basis for Rocky Burnette'southward 1980 hit song, "Tired of Toein' the Line". Information technology is also mentioned in the song "Walk A Thin Line" past Lindsey Buckingham on the 1979 anthology "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac.^{[ commendation needed ]}

References [edit]

1. ^ RAILTON, John (Oct v, 1738). "The Ground forces Regulator; Or, the Military Adventures of Mr John Railton; Giving an Account of His Particular Services in the Horse Grenadiers, the Dragoons, the Foot, and the Railroad train of Artillery". Westward. Warner – via Google Books.
2. ^ Pickering, Timothy (October 5, 1775). An Easy Plan of Subject area for a Militia. Samuel and Ebenezer Hall. ISBN9780608406763 – via Google Books.
3. ^ "The British Critic and Quarterly Theological Review". F. and C. Rivington. October 5, 1831 – via Google Books.
4. ^ "From Captain Maryatt's "Poor Jack". Old Duty (1841)". The Pittsfield Sun. August 26, 1841. p. 1. Retrieved Feb 24, 2021.
5. ^ "Nautical Terms and Phrases... Their Meaning and Origin". Archived from the original on July iii, 1998. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
6. ^ "Fragments of Voyages and Travels" (reprinted from the London Literary Gazette and written past Helm Basil Hall RN), /The Atheneum - 4th Series, Volume 1 - April to Oct 1831, Kane & Co, Boston, folio 188
7. ^ "The Christian Observer". Hatchard and Company. October v, 1843 – via Google Books.
8. ^ Robert Rogers and Rhodri Walters, How Parliament Works, sixth ed (Longman, 2006), p. 14 and Robert Rogers, Order! Guild!: A Parliamentary Miscellany (London: JR Books, 2009), p. 27
9. ^ "Land of public affairs in December", The Monthly magazine, Number 277 Volume 40, R Phillips, Jan 1, 1816, folio 548
10. ^ The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan, 1813, by "Hector Bull-Us" - known to his family and friends as James Paulding
11. ^ Cogitations; Henry James Finn, Moses Whitney, James William Miller, Oliver C. Wyman; Whimswhams, A K Newman and Co, London, page 155
12. ^ "Fight between Nick Ward and Deaf Burke for £fifty a side", Editor of Bell's Life in London, Fights for the Championship and other Celebrated Prize Fights, Bong's Life, London, 1855, page 155
13. ^ Waigl, Chris. "toe » tow". The Eggcorn Database . Retrieved Apr 28, 2018.
14. ^ Quinion, Michael. "Toe the line". World Wide Words . Retrieved April 28, 2018.
15. ^ Congress - March 18, 1826, Niles' Weekly Register, H Niles, March to September 1826 Volume Half dozen - Third Series, Baltimore, page 48
16. ^ Stracher, Cameron (2013). Kings of the Road. ISBN9780547773964 – via Volume Depository.
17. ^ Max, Kevin (March 1, 2013). "Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project". 1859. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013.
18. ^ "Lance Armstrong on Twitter".
19. ^ A Parallel of Words, Dr Anthony Lightfoot. Authorhouse, 2010, folio 457, ISBN 978 1 4520 3779 0
20. ^ Politics and the English Language, George Orwell, 1946

External links [edit]

• World Wide Words

mortondeparose.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_the_line

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