Etymology
The primary connotation of "toe the line" is “to adhere to rules or doctrines conscientiously; conform” (American Heritage), “To conform to a rule or standard” (Oxford).
The most commonly cited source for a sports origin etymology is foot-racing, where the competitors must keep their feet behind a "line" or on a "mark" at the start of the race, as in "On your mark, get set, go!". Another is boxing, where opponents were compelled by a referee's command, "Toe the line!", to stand toe to toe across from one another to start a match.
Cricket: To "toe the line" referred to a bowler "no-balling", by delivering the ball with his toe over the "popping crease" as the ball was delivered (i.e. left his "bowling hand"). This "Law" has now been altered to the "front-foot Law."
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Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)