on the line

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English

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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

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Prepositional phrase

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on the line

  1. On a level with the eye of the observer, as of a picture hung in on a wall.
  2. (figurative) At risk, as in a contest or enterprise.
    Synonyms: at stake, on the rocks
    The survival of the company is on the line with this project.
    • 2007 January 21, Valerie Ahern, Christian McLaughlin, “Come Play wiz Me”, in Desperate Housewives, season 3, spoken by Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria):
      I have a stalker. My life is on the line!
    • 2019 January 26, Kitty Empire, “The Streets review – the agony and ecstasy of a great everyman”, in The Guardian[1]:
      The 40-year-old is happy to put his body on the line in other ways, swapping a mug of tea for a fan’s double pint of lager and messily necking it in one.
    • 2023 December 13, Timothy Garton Ash, “War or peace? Dictatorship or democracy? Europe’s future is on the line”, in The Guardian[2], →ISSN:
      War or peace? Dictatorship or democracy? Europe’s future is on the line [title]
  3. Currently calling on the telephone.
    I have John on the line for you.
  4. (sports) On one of the lines marked on a playing field or court; (by extension) within bounds.
    The ball was on the line but the umpire ruled it out.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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