As I\u2019ve mentioned before, idioms are fun. And they can be learned in groups. Often a certain word or phrase will appear in a few different idioms with related meanings. Today we\u2019re going to look at idioms with the word \u201cline\u201d in them.<\/p>\n
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\u201cA fine line\u201d is used to refer to the difference between two things that can be quite similar. In this idiom, the word \u201cfine\u201d has a sense of \u201cvery thin,\u201d and \u201cline\u201d is used to mean \u201cboundary.\u201d This idiom describes an unclear boundary between two very similar things.<\/p>\n
For example, you could say \u201cthere\u2019s a fine line between criticizing someone and insulting them.\u201d If you say this, you are suggesting that the boundary\/difference between criticizing someone or being mean to them is very small. In this way, you are warning someone that it\u2019s hard to tell the difference between criticism and insults. \u201cA fine\u201d line in this context suggests that someone who is very critical of a person may accidentally insult them rather than just offering a critique.<\/p>\n
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This idiom also treats the word \u201cline\u201d as a simile for \u201cboundary.\u201d However, in this case, the idiom describes a boundary that can be seen very easily and absolutely should not be crossed. To \u201cdraw a line in the sand\u201d means to clearly tell a person or group that they should not do something. This is often used in politics and war. A nation may \u201cdraw a line in the sand\u201d by telling another country that they cannot occupy a disputed territory, or that they must agree to certain trade or diplomatic arrangements.<\/p>\n
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This idiom is interesting. \u201cLine\u201d is being used to mean \u201cboundary\u201d in one sense, and it\u2019s also being used to mean \u201cspeech\u201d or \u201ca set of words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe party line\u201d is an organization\u2019s official stated rules or beliefs. For instance, at a new job, someone might tell you \u201cOfficially, we only get a 30 minute lunch break, but that\u2019s just the party line. On a slow day, you can take more time at lunch.\u201d So \u201cparty line\u201d refers both to the boundaries of a rul, and to the formal language or ideas behind the rule.<\/p>\n
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This is an especially fun \u201cline\u201d idiom, because it has two completely different meanings that rely on separate definitions of the word \u201cline.\u201d \u201cLine\u201d can refer to a piece of rope or string. In this sense, \u201cthrow someone a line\u201d means to give someone something that helps them out of a bad situation. When used completely literally, it describes throwing a line of rope to someone who is drowning in deep water or is trapped in a deep pit.<\/p>\n
However, \u201cthrowing someone a line\u201d is usually just a figure of speech that describes the act of sending help to someone. In common everyday situations, you might say something like \u201cI\u2019m really busy, but my son is home sick. Could you throw me a line and babysit for me while I work?\u201d In this case, asking someone to throw you a line is asking them to provide help in a difficult situation.<\/p>\n
In its second meaning, \u201cto throw someone a line\u201d is to tell them something ridiculous or untrue. Suppose you don\u2019t want to meet with someone, but you need a polite excuse not to meet. It could be said that you threw them a line about not being able to meet, when you really just didn\u2019t want to go. You might throw them a line about being sick, or being busy, and so on.<\/p>\n
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As I\u2019ve mentioned before, idioms are fun. And they can be learned in groups. Often a certain word or phrase will appear in a few different idioms with related meanings. Today we\u2019re going to look at idioms with the word \u201cline\u201d in them. A fine line \u201cA fine line\u201d is used to refer to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13604],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13630],"class_list":["post-2993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocab"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n