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  • 3-minute read
  • 10th March 2020

Idiom Tips: Tow the Line or Toe the Line?

To “toe the line” means to follow the rules or obey an authority. However, people often misspell this phrase as “tow the line.” So, how can you avoid this error? And where does this idiom come from? Let’s take a look.

What Does “Toe the Line” Mean?

To “toe the line” is to follow the rules or do the expected thing. It often has a sense of obeying an authority so as not to cause trouble:

Sarah didn’t agree with the policy, but she decided to toe the company line.

Here, “toe the company line” means “follow the company’s rules.”

The misspelling “tow the line” emerged because “toe” and “tow” are homophones. In addition, “tow” is a familiar verb, while “toe” is usually a noun, so “tow” may seem more natural. But “tow the line” is always wrong.

The Etymology of the Phrase

No one knows quite where the phrase “toe the line” originally comes from. Some of the earliest uses come from accounts of life in the military, where soldiers would literally be required to stand with their toes up to the line.

Other similarly literal uses may have included children lining up in school, politicians in the British House of Commons, and runners standing at the starting line of a race (i.e., to stand with your toes up to the starting line).

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The line you should 'toe'.
The line you should “toe.”

This final athletic usage seems to have given rise to the idiom we know today. In particular, James Paulding used the similar phrase “toe the mark” figuratively in The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan (1813), which contains the line:

He began to think it was high time to toe the mark.

It’s worth remembering this origin story, as it can help you spell the phrase correctly. For instance, if you’re not sure whether to write “toe the line” or “tow the line,” you can picture a sprinter at the starting line of a race!

Summary: Toe the Line or Tow the Line?

To summarize what we’ve said in this post so far:

  • The correct version of this phrase is always toe the line.
  • The phrase means “follow the rules or obey an authority.”
  • “Tow the line” is a misspelling based on “toe” and “tow” sounding the same, but “tow the line” is always an error.
  • The phrase comes from the idea of standing at the starting line before a race (i.e., getting as close as possible without overstepping the mark).

To remember this phrase, then, just think of a sprinter at the starting line of a race. And if you need any more help with your spelling, or any element of writing, why not submit a document for proofreading today?

Comments (18)
Ben Prickril
25th February 2021 at 15:48
This explanation of the etymology of “toe the line” is incomplete. According to Wikipedia the most likely origin of the term goes back to the wooden decked ships of the Royal Navy during the late 17th or early 18th century. Barefooted seamen had to stand at attention for inspection and had to line up on deck along the seams of the wooden planks, hence to "toe the line". T he first mention of this use in literature stems from a story about navy life published in 1831 and written by Captain Basil Hall RN.
Reply
    Proofed
    25th February 2021 at 16:09
    Hi, Ben. Thanks for the comment. We did mention that the etymology we gave was just "one possibility," but the more important factor is that we were referring to the figurative use of this phrase to mean "conform to a standard" (not its use to denote the literal act of standing with one's toes up to a line). And in this case, the athletic sense of "toe the line/mark" seems to be the most likely inspiration (e.g., see here). We've tried to clarify this in the post now.
    Reply
    Lee Mortimer
    20th June 2021 at 17:20
    I haven’t used the term in writing so “toe vs tow” hadn’t occurred to me until I saw “toe” used in a recent article. My first instinct was that “tow” a “line” conjured up an image of a ship’s crew “towing” the rope(s) that guided a ship and then securely tying the ship alongside a pier. But I suppose I will have to stand corrected in the face of the explanation.
    Reply
      Sunil
      19th July 2021 at 18:22
      Same.
      Phil
      1st March 2022 at 19:34
      Agreed, I always thought of someone 'towing the line' like a tugboat pulling along a bigger vessel ( one rockstar dev doing everything while the rest of the work team can't get it done ).
Sara Donadei
8th March 2021 at 00:34
I was always told the phrase came from sailing - that you tow the line your superiors tell you to. Back in the day spelling wasn't always so uniform & many words have been modernized into being spelled differently. Honestly, the phrase makes much more sense defined as above...
Reply
    Proofed
    8th March 2021 at 09:48
    That's a new one on us! The "toe" etymologies seem more likely, especially as "toe" seems to be the older spelling and standardization of spelling was fairly well established by the time the phrase starts appearing. It's not uncommon for phrases to gain false nautical etymologies, though, partly because there are a lot of phrases that do come from language used in navies.
    Reply
Bill Miller
12th March 2021 at 21:05
I too can see a case for either usage. Prior to any research, my first thought was that of laborers or slaves who were compelled to "tow a line" in order to perform some physical task demanded by their overseers.
Reply
    Proofed
    15th March 2021 at 10:36
    Hi, Bill. It's the ambiguity of this phrase that means that many people misuse it, but if you need an idiom meaning "follow the rules," the original spelling is "toe the line." As such, you'll want to stick to "toe" if you want to be sure your writing is clear.
    Reply
Suz
25th August 2021 at 12:57
I had always heard that "tow the line" harkens back to riverboat travel, when it wasn't uncommon for people to have to get on the banks with tow lines and help to tow a boat past the shallows and back into more navigable water, essentially functioning as a towboat. The job often fell to slaves and indentured servants. Hence, "tow the line" could be about doing your part to help overcome the difficult, whereas "toe the line" was more a reference to following the rules and that either usage is correct if used thoughtfully in context.
Reply
    Proofed
    25th August 2021 at 17:12
    Hi, Suz. That's an interesting take! However, there is no evidence we know of to suggest that "tow the line" has ever been widely used with that meaning (it is almost always used in the sense of "follow the rules"). And given the widespread misspelling of "toe the line" using "tow" instead of "toe", you may need to be careful the context makes the meaning clear if you want to use "tow the line" as a distinct phrase!
    Reply
Bill Cahoon
10th September 2021 at 22:35
Having served in the military, specifically the United States Navy, I found out exactly what "Toe the Line" means early on in boot camp, when we were ordered to stand with the toes of our boots up against a line on the floor. Something like that, you don't forget!
Reply
Jive
6th April 2022 at 17:50
'Tow the line' makes more sense than' toe the line' when following the rules. Putting toes up against the line is vague. Pull your own weight "Tow the Line" is in my book, no matter what someone from the year 1802 said.
Reply
    Proofed
    11th April 2022 at 09:26
    Hi, Jive. Unfortunately, the English language won't always follow the logic we want it to! Our blog post is here to help people learn the conventional spelling of the phrase, and we'd broadly encourage anyone using it to stick to that spelling to avoid the potential for confusion or for it looking like you've made a mistake (even if you used "tow" deliberately). But if you want to use "tow the line" and encourage its acceptance as a variant spelling of this phrase, or even introduce it as a new phrase meaning "pull your own weight" rather than "follow the rules," then that's entirely your choice to make! Just be aware that some people, especially if you're dealing with publishers or other writing-based professionals, will likely consider "tow the line" an error unless you include, e.g., a footnote or similar to explain that your choice of spelling is deliberate and how you are using the phrase (which might in itself feel a little inelegant if all you mean is "toe the line" as in "follow the rules").
    Reply
J Dragan
13th April 2023 at 15:40
I use, "TOW the company line" as referring to one that listens and supports the boss' initiatives or unwritten business missions (i.e.: make money at all costs) regardless of how correct those instructions are to the job role.
Reply
    Proofed
    21st April 2023 at 12:40
    Thanks for commenting! Yes, many people, as in the comments above, use or think of this phrase in that way. The idea of “towing,” especially in the nautical sense, is definitely an interesting interpretation of how the phrase came about, and, as with any language, I’m sure its usage will continue to develop. The main thing is that, if you’re using this in the written form in any kind of formal context, to make sure to stick to the “toe” spelling.
    Reply
Steve Wehrly
2nd May 2023 at 03:16
I always thought "toe" was correct and attributed the phrase to the military environment -- the first rule in boot camp. The athletic usage makes sense if derived from the military, but only in the sense of "don't try to get an advantage by going over the line". Your explanation was convincing.
Reply
    Proofed
    9th May 2023 at 12:32
    Thanks for commenting, Steve! I'm glad this article was helpful.
    Reply

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