You may have heard the English idiom “to toe the line.” Oftentimes, it’s used in the context of work, where employees are told to “toe the company line.” The workers are being told to conform to the rules, principles and policies of the company, to do exactly as they are told and not to veer off in some unauthorized direction. Don’t be a rebel. Don’t be different.
To better understand why it’s “toe the line” and not “tow the line,” we can go back to the most likely origin of the idiomatic expression. From what we can gather, the idea here is for all the members of the group to stand together in formation. The best example of this is a standard foot race, like the ultra marathon from yesterday’s speedlink or the 100-meter dash in the Summer Olympics.
All the competitors walk up and literally place their toes before the same start line. They are, quite literally, toeing the line. In doing so, they are following the agreed-upon rules and standards of that kind of marathon, sprint or foot race. In the context of politics, you may hear about politicians who “toe the party line.” What this means is that the members of the party all vote the same way on the same policy arguments. If a politician voices an opinion that differs from the rest of his party, then he is not toeing the party line.
Some people have argued that “toe the line” actually originates from boxing and prize-fighting. The pugilists would have to stand on a line on the mat. Personally, I think the foot race explanation makes more sense.
“Tow the line” is a common misspelling and it seems to have a more active connotation. Rather than simply ensuring that your toe is on the same line on the ground as everyone else, you are actively pulling (“towing”) on a line (rope?). This might imply that you are actively enforcing the rules and standards, rather than simply abiding by them.
Just as the proper spellings for “proving your mettle” and hitting the “mother lode” can be best understood by knowing how these idioms came to be in the first place, knowing that “toe the line” likely got its start with literal toes on literal lines will ensure you don’t write it as “tow” the line instead.
While important to Toe the line as an employee of a company, it is also important to be able to see where you might need to see the gray area. If we always follow the rules blindly we could end up making a mistake or hurting someone.
Rules or the line are not always right.