Prescribe or proscribe

Sports have a lot of influence on language.

"pulling your weight"
... born directly from organized, competitive racing.
Apparently.

"What on earth could towing a line possibly be a metaphor for?" Pulling your weight? which itself is a metaphor for doing your share of the work.

Metaphors are such useful things, they imply a lot more in the pictures they paint (there's another metaphor) than their actual words say.

Something that annoys me is when people say things like "I literally died laughing" No, they didn't, or they wouldn't be there telling us they did. they mean it metaphorically, not literally.

The older naval meaning, and the lined-up-to-start-a-race one are literal, with the actual toes behind the actual line, while the conforming-to-standard-policy meaning is metaphorical, with the toes being imaginary and the line not drawn visibly.

Yes, or not stepping out of line.

Think there is a mixed metaphor here...

Toeing the line is a naval term where, as Not Spaghetti infers, sailors filed to attention putting their toes against a line in the deck planking. Common practice in the Georgian navy.

Toeing a line - i.e. toeing a policy line - in this sense is a deviation from the original meaning...

I think that the use of ‘tow’ instead of ‘toe’ has gained traction because of ignorance and poor spelling skills and the barge towline explanation has no validity whatsoever, it’s just a face saver. It hasn’t any relationship at all to the meaning of the phrase, which is to obey orders

Some common sense at last.
I can’t believe this old chestnut has been going the rounds for so long.

And why ask about “prescribe” or “proscribe “ ?
Look them up. Different words, different meanings- no great mystery.

Grandmaofone

Elegran

I have seen "tow the line" used (on the net). Someone must have heard it, not seen it written down. i wonder what their mento image is of someone "towing the line", it is probably quite different from an athlete toeing the starting line, not crossing it until the whistle blows.

Elegran - ‘towing the line’ is from the time when canal barges were towed by draught horses, also the origin of ‘tow path’ alongside canals or rivers

I think that the use of ‘tow’ instead of ‘toe’ has gained traction because of ignorance and poor spelling skills and the barge towline explanation has no validity whatsoever, it’s just a face saver. It hasn’t any relationship at all to the meaning of the phrase, which is to obey orders.

What on earth could towing a line possibly be a metaphor for?

Grandmaofone

Elegran

I have seen "tow the line" used (on the net). Someone must have heard it, not seen it written down. i wonder what their mento image is of someone "towing the line", it is probably quite different from an athlete toeing the starting line, not crossing it until the whistle blows.

Elegran - ‘towing the line’ is from the time when canal barges were towed by draught horses, also the origin of ‘tow path’ alongside canals or rivers

Yes, towing a line could mean putting your shoulder to the rope and helping with the work. However the poster clearly meant what we would say as "toe the line" like an athlete under orders waiting with his toes behind the starting line, in the sense of doing as you were told, as everyone else was obeying.

The hosepipe ban has been prescribed. Use of the hosepipe he's been proscribed. Simple

Elegran

I have seen "tow the line" used (on the net). Someone must have heard it, not seen it written down. i wonder what their mento image is of someone "towing the line", it is probably quite different from an athlete toeing the starting line, not crossing it until the whistle blows.

Elegran - ‘towing the line’ is from the time when canal barges were towed by draught horses, also the origin of ‘tow path’ alongside canals or rivers

I thought the origins were from the Navy where the sailors had to stand at attention with their toes touching a specific tar seam between the planks.

Falling "out of line" or failing to keep your toes on the mark meant disciplinary action.
My husband once said he thought it was also called "toeing the seam".

The confusion comes in part from so many people saying pr'us' cribed.
Poor pronunciation obscures the meaning.

I have seen "tow the line" used (on the net). Someone must have heard it, not seen it written down. i wonder what their mento image is of someone "towing the line", it is probably quite different from an athlete toeing the starting line, not crossing it until the whistle blows.

First time I've read and contributed Tuliptree. I hope I'm not going to be proscribed! 🤣

Plevey08

That's funny Tuliptree. Ok I've got that👍

Ooohhh thank you. This is the first time I’ve contributed to Pedants’ Corner but I love reading it.

That's funny Tuliptree. Ok I've got that👍

Doodledog

Maybe if you cut and paste the phrase in context it would make more sense?

I suppose people can toe whichever lines they like - pre or proscribed, but one is likely to have better consequences than the other.

Because "proscribed" is so legally heavy it implies something strictly outlawed by parliament.

"toeing the proscribed line" sounds like you are carefully conforming to the rules of an illegal terrorist group!

Lol!

Taken as read in Pedants’ Corner? I don’t think so 😂

Well yes Tuliptree..you can't ban an inanimate object so yes the use of. Sort of thought that would be taken as read 🤣

Plevey08

Proscribe does mean to forbid or ban eg the ban on hosepipes in hot weather. Or mobile phones forbids the use of mobile phones in exams. So now we know the next time there's a hosepipe ban it's been proscribed 🤣

But it’s not the hosepipe ban that’s been proscribed is it but the use of the hosepipe?

Proscribe does mean to forbid or ban eg the ban on hosepipes in hot weather. Or mobile phones forbids the use of mobile phones in exams. So now we know the next time there's a hosepipe ban it's been proscribed 🤣

Surely "to toe the line" means keeping on the right side of it?

Think back tto running races at school - if you put a toe over the starting line before "GO" was said you were disqualified.

It makes no sense to toe the forbidden line, which happens to be what "the procribed line" means.