This might not be so much of a grammar lesson, but an idiom lesson. Quite often the saying, “toe the line” is mistakenly written as “tow the line.” I, myself, learned the correct idiom from Tom Palmer in a seminar on becoming better writers during my internship at the Cato Institute. It came up recently in a conversation with a friend, so I thought I’d share what I know with everyone.
I believe the reason people get the two mixed up so easily is that the correct meaning can be inferred even when one confuses them. To “toe the line” means to follow the rules or do what is expected. Wikipedia places the origin of the phrase with the British Parliament. Members were reminded to “toe the line” (stand behind certain lines on the floor) when debates became heated so they would come to blows with their swords.
The Wikipedia entry also notes that “tow the line” “is grammatically suspect, as the verb tow refers to the object being towed, e.g. a car or a boat, not the mechanism by which it is towed, such as a rope or chain.”

technorati tags:grammar, idioms, english, language

Blogged with Flock