No, they had it correct; it is "toe the line". It has never been "tow", ever.
This variation of the idiom comes primarily from runners in a race conforming to the rule/standard/practice/doing as expected with putting their toes up to the starting line prior to the race starting. The precursor phrases that are similar and far older were also "toe", but all meant the same thing of conforming to the standard/doing as is expected; e.g. "toe the plank" or "toe the mark".
No, they had it correct; it is "**toe** the line". It has never been "tow", ever.
This variation of the idiom comes primarily from runners in a race conforming to the rule/standard/practice/doing as expected with putting their toes up to the starting line prior to the race starting. The precursor phrases that are similar and far older were also "toe", but all meant the same thing of conforming to the standard/doing as is expected; e.g. "toe the plank" or "toe the mark".
I understand. I regularly encounter things where I thought they were one way for my entirely life, but I discover that they were actually another way entirely; e.g.
- this
- apparently garbage bags come inside out, thus they are often put into cans opposite to how they should be and which results in weaker seams and tearing/leaking.
- cats hacking out hairballs regularly is not normal and cats do die of suffocation from them getting stuck if someone doesn't do the Heimlich on them in time.
- voting is and always has been meaningless (or at least for the last 150 years) due to being completely controlled by kikes.
- kikes want me dead and my entire species genocided and every trace of our legacy and history physically and ideologically erased from existence.
- etcetera
I understand. I regularly encounter things where I thought they were one way for my entirely life, but I discover that they were actually another way entirely; e.g.
- this
- apparently garbage bags come inside out, thus they are often put into cans opposite to how they should be and which results in weaker seams and tearing/leaking.
- cats hacking out hairballs regularly is not normal and cats do die of suffocation from them getting stuck if someone doesn't do the Heimlich on them in time.
- voting is and always has been meaningless (or at least for the last 150 years) due to being completely controlled by kikes.
- kikes want me dead and my entire species genocided and every trace of our legacy and history physically and ideologically erased from existence.
- etcetera
(post is archived)