循规蹈矩

    Toe是“用脚尖踢 、用脚趾踩”，line是“直线”。Toe the line是什么意思呢？请看对话：

    A: How do you think the oil companies will react to the new regulation?

    B: They might not like it but they’ll toe the line just to avoid trouble.

    Note: The idiom means to conform to a rule or a standard. This may have originated from 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!” Other phrases which were once used in the early 1800s and have the same meaning were to “toe the mark” and “toe the plank.” In current times, it often appears in the context of politics, and literally in running and in the military, particularly the U.S. Army. When the soldiers are ordered to “toe the line,” they will cease their activities and line up with their toes on the line.