# Toe the line; NOT tow the line **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 17, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547 "2010-12-17T19:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/1 "2010-12-17T19:21:47Z")
A peeve of mine. I see this more and more lately. People use the expression “Tow the line.” I believe the expression should be “Toe the line.” I believe it goes back to the day of bare knuckle boxing, or fighting, where a line would be drawn or scratched in the dirt and the two fighters would be required to stand facing each other with their toes against the line. At a signal, they would commence thrashing each other until one or the other was knocked off his feet or out of the ring or wherever; that would signal the ending of a round. After a rest, the fighters were again required to “toe the line” or to stand facing each other again with their toes against the line. If a man was unable to “toe the line,” he was declared the loser of the fight. Very mundane and very pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/2 "2010-12-17T19:26:23Z")
Sometimes the line does need to be relocated. Hence, towing the line. 😉 The other etymology I’ve heard is that the UK House of Commons has lines on the carpet in front of the Government and Opposition benches, and it is VERY bad form to cross those lines in debate. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/3 "2010-12-17T19:41:33Z")
😕 tow the line – That’s never correct. My car is stuck. Please bring a towline. You better toe the line or you’re grounded. Heck, I’ll ground him for using tow the line in a sentence. 😃 Don’t they teach homonyms in school anymore? We memorized a list like this in 4th grade. [http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym\_list.html](http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/4 "2010-12-17T19:51:23Z")
My Ebay cellar flu to China and used his frequent fryer miles. My blue genes were maled late. I hope he halls ass back to the United Steaks. Teaching & memorizing homonyms is important. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/5 "2010-12-17T19:56:40Z")
I think you are taking the wrong tact in posting this. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/6 "2010-12-17T19:58:26Z")
A few years back, someone on this board kept typing “toe.” I was about to get all in his face about it, but I thought I’d better look it up first, just in case I was about to make a fool of myself. Good thing! I thought that it meant lining up at a real or imaginary line, so that everyone’s toes are even. Towing makes a lot more sense to me. Imagine a barge with a rope, or line, to pull it upriver with. It takes ten men pulling on the line to move the barge. If on isn’t, and is making everyone else work hard, he’s not “towing the line.” Makes perfect sense. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/7 "2010-12-17T19:59:58Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I think you are taking the wrong tact in posting this. That’s actually pretty good, for a certain definition of tact. Think “tempo.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/8 "2010-12-17T20:01:47Z")
For all intense and porpoises, tow the line is prefectly cromulent. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/9 "2010-12-17T20:03:17Z")
I think you mean “intensive purposes.” ---
**Author:** ![Grapefruit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@Grapefruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grapefruit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/10 "2010-12-17T20:04:45Z")
Stuff like that drives me nuts too. The ones that annoy me the most are the ones that were formerly foreign words that made their way into the English lexicon. Among them, the ones that make me go “ARGH!” are: “Chow” when it’s supposed to be “ciao” “Wala” when it’s supposed to be “voilà” - this one is just especially idiot to me because “wala” doesn’t even look right when it’s written down. And I think a couple days ago, I got a glimpse of someone on these boards use “toot sweet”. Ummm… no no no NO. What the hell is that even suppose to convey? If you really think about how the two words are strung together, it makes no god damn sense. “Toute suite”, people! Use them correctly or don’t use them at all! ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/11 "2010-12-17T20:09:08Z")
Here is the classic example of what happens when you misunderstand wordplay with this phrase: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8tdmaEhMHE&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8tdmaEhMHE&feature=related) Oh Sweet Jesus! ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/12 "2010-12-17T20:11:03Z")
An acquaintance of mine once served time in a medium security prison. It looked like a small college campus with a large fence around it. He said he wasn’t behind bars. He lived in a dorm. But four or five times a day he had to toe the line. That is, stand on a line on the floor to prove that he was still “present” at the facility. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/13 "2010-12-17T20:12:49Z")
> [@Grapefruit](#): > > And I think a couple days ago, I got a glimpse of someone on these boards use “toot sweet”. But that was the name of a character in a move. He was a jazz musician. Butt naked drives me crazy. If someone is totally naked, they have more than just their butt exposed. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/14 "2010-12-17T20:23:58Z")
Actually, this phrase originated in the military, where it was regarded as an unfortunate necessity to fire a [TOW wire-guided missile](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tow_missile) at someone who was untruthful. Thus, the correct spelling of this term is “TOW the lyin’.” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/15 "2010-12-17T20:31:43Z")
You have to tow the line first, otherwise it’s tough to ho the rode. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/16 "2010-12-17T22:51:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > For all intense and porpoises, tow the line is prefectly cromulent. Dammit, it ain’t neither. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/17 "2010-12-17T23:04:41Z")
> [@Grapefruit](#): > > And I think a couple days ago, I got a glimpse of someone on these boards use “toot sweet”. Ummm… no no no NO. What the hell is that even suppose to convey? If you really think about how the two words are strung together, it makes no god damn sense. “Toute suite”, people! [Tout de suite](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tout_de_suite). I hate it when people get the abbreviation for _et cetera_ wrong and put _ECT._ (in capitals, no less) ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/18 "2010-12-17T23:05:37Z")
I always thought “toeing the line” was a bad thing. That is, I know it means conforming to a standard or playing by the rules but I always thought if it as the opposite of that. Like if you’re that rebellious kid, you’re going to put your toe just over the line to annoy your teacher/coach… ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/19 "2010-12-17T23:07:49Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I think you are taking the wrong tact in posting this. I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547/20 "2010-12-17T23:17:57Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > 😕 tow the line – That’s never correct. > > My car is stuck. Please bring a towline. > > You better toe the line or you’re grounded. > > Heck, I’ll ground him for using tow the line in a sentence. 😃 > > Don’t they teach homonyms in school anymore? > We memorized a list like this in 4th grade. > [http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym\_list.html](http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html) it’s not an issue of homonyms - it’s idiom. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toe-the-line-not-tow-the-line/564547.md?page=2)