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this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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This is vastly different than my understanding of the phrase. I understand it to mean something similar to "fall in line". As in conform to some standard. I think it was supposed to have originated in the military where they would have a literal piece of tape in the ground at the foot of your bunk. When a drill sergeant or officer would come through you were expected to "toe the line". Meaning stand at attention with your toes exactly touching the line.
Exactly I don't think @carrolade@lemmy.world understands how the phrase is used colloquially.
Its most often heard in the form "toe the party line", as in political party. Members will have their own feelings and they can discuss them privately perhaps but in public they will sure as he'll toe the party line and repeat whatever the party policy is, without any dissent.
The same dynamic I was discussing appears in that case as well. The politician may not agree with the policy, and may be willing to violate it, but still toes the party line.
If someone was doing something somewhat shady, but still keeping within the bounds of some rule, you might say they are similarly toeing that line.
The big question to me has become, can you toe a line in a positive way?
Positive would probably be more commonly seen as an after effect I would think. "It's good that we toed the line here or we'd have had trouble."
I think it's because it's generally given as guidance beforehand (which doesn't necessitate positive or negative) and evaluated for positive or negative afterward.
Yes. People within the party think it's positive to "toe the party line". Anyone conforming to what you think is positive is "toeing the line" in a way you'd find positive.
Except that in my experience, even a supporter of said party, when talking about how a member of ours "just toes the line" is communicating a negative, not a positive. That's not a good, genuine guy we're proud of, it's someone to watch out for.
Colloquially too, the way I was raised, it's a bad thing, you did not want to be a line-toer. And I'm not referring to discussions of politics, but how it was used in day to day conversation. I've been accused of toeing lines, for instance, with the implication being that continuing may get me in trouble some day and I should be a little more careful.
Perhaps it's a regional thing.
I don't necessarily think it is regional. I think it's contextual. Within the party someone might be told "we need you to toe the line" if that person has been known to go rogue. It depends on what the line being toed is and the speakers thoughts on that line.
LOL. Its ok to just be wrong sometimes mate.
But it's also OK to seek more information about a topic you were incorrect about. We shouldn't chastise what seems to be genuine curiosity.
Yeah, I just made another edit to my original comment. lol