A: How do you think the minister will react to the new regulations?

    B: He might not like them but he’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!” We also say to “toe the mark.” In current times, it appears mostly in the context of politics. The term is also in literal use in the military, particularly the U.S. Army.