page_title: Toe the line
section_title: Origins
hierarchical_section_title: Toe the line / Origins
caption_attribution_description: Toeing the Line (Ascot)
context_page_description: "Toe the line" is an idiomatic expression meaning either to conform to a rule or standard, or to stand poised at the starting line in a footrace. Other phrases which were once used in the early 1800s and have the same meaning were toe the mark and toe the plank.
context_section_description: The expression has disputed origins, though the two earliest known appearances in print are from the British Army, and the third from the Royal Navy. Those suggested are from public school, the armed services, Bare Knuckle Boxing, or possibly the British House of Commons.
caption: Toeing the Line, Byam Shaw
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