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In Fanny Burney's Cecilia (1782) the question is asked Where, then, do you draw the line?, meaning how far can a person expect to be independent. The image of drawing lines has fed English idiom for several centuries, extending to the more explicit notion of (1) a line drawn under something (by which a difficult or embarrassing period of events is regarded as resolved or finished:

• The eviction of a similar number of British diplomats from Moscow will be taken as a signal that Russia wishes to draw a line under the whole affair —Daily Telegraph, 2007)

and (2) a line drawn in the sand (suggesting a limit to movement or action much as a line in the sand marks a physical limit:

• He had crossed a line in the sand etched by decades of sectarian division —Sunday Mail, 2004).

The second form of the phrase tends to be used in the same way as the first, however, even to the extent of producing absurdities such as the following:

• All further discussion is redundant, so let's draw a line in the sand under the entire episode —Morning Star, 2004.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • Line — Line, n. [OE. line, AS. l[=i]ne cable, hawser, prob. from L. linea a linen thread, string, line, fr. linum flax, thread, linen, cable; but the English word was influenced by F. ligne line, from the same L. word linea. See {Linen}.] 1. A linen… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Line — or lines may refer to: * Line (geometry), an infinitely extending one dimensional figure that has no curvature * a length of rope, cable or chain when put to use (such as a clothesline, anchor line) * a line or queue of people waiting in a queue… …   Wikipedia

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  • Line — (l[imac]n), v. t. 1. To mark with a line or lines; to cover with lines; as, to line a copy book. [1913 Webster] He had a healthy color in his cheeks, and his face, though lined, bore few traces of anxiety. Dickens. [1913 Webster] 2. To represent… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Line 6 — and similar can refer to the following: Route 6 (Baltimore), a bus route Line 6, Beijing Subway, a subway line in Beijing, China 6 (New York City Subway service) Mexico City Metro Line 6 Line 6 (Madrid Metro) Seoul Subway Line 6 Line 6, Shanghai… …   Wikipedia

  • Line — oder Line steht für: eine Software, siehe LINE (Software) in der Genetik so genannte Long interspersed nuclear elements ein Steckverbindung für tragbare Geräte und an Computern, siehe Line Level Anschluss Englisch für eine Linie Kokain den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • line up — {v. phr.} 1. To take places in a line or formation; stand side by side or one behind another; form a line or pattern. * /The boys lined up and took turns diving off the springboard./ * /The football team lined up in a T formation./ 2. To put in… …   Dictionary of American idioms

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  • Line — Line, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Lined} (l[imac]nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Lining}.] [See {Line} flax.] 1. To cover the inner surface of; as, to line a cloak with silk or fur; to line a box with paper or tin. [1913 Webster] The inside lined with rich… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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