lay something on the line Definition

line¹
noun

1. A long narrow mark, streak or stripe.
2. A length of thread, rope, wire, etc used for specified purposes.

Example: a washing line
Example: mending the telephone lines
3. A wrinkle or furrow, especially on the skin.
4. math.
Something that has length but no breadth or thickness.
5. The path which a moving object is considered to leave behind it, having length but no breadth.
6. A row.

Thesaurus: rank, file, row, sequence.
7. A row of words or printed or written characters.

Example: a line from Shakespeare
8. The words of an actor's part.

Form: lines
9. An outline or shape.

Example: a car of stylish lines
Form: lines (often)
10. A punishment at school where a phrase or sentence has to be written out a set number of times.

Form: lines
11. music.
Any one of the five horizontal marks forming a musical stave.
12. music.
A series of notes forming a melody.
13. colloq
A short letter or note.
Example: drop him a line
14. A series or group of people coming one after the other, especially in the same family or profession.

Example: from a long line of doctors
Thesaurus: lineage, family, descent, ancestry, race, stock, strain, breed, bloodline, pedigree.
15. A field of activity, interest, study or work.

Example: his line of business
16. A course or way of acting, behaving, thinking or reasoning.

Example: think along different lines
17. The rules or limits of acceptable behaviour.

Example: overstep the line
18. A group or class of goods for sale.

Example: a new line in tonic water
19. A production line.
(N Amer, especially US)
20. A physical boundary. Compare limit.

Example: the county line
21. A figurative boundary or point of change.

Example: a thin line between genius and madness
22. One of several white marks outlining a pitch, race-track, etc on a field.

Example: goal line
23. A single track for trains or trams.
24. A branch or route of a railway system.
25. A route, track or direction of movement.

Example: line of fire
26. A continuous system, eg of telephone cables, connecting one place with another.
27a. A telephone connection

Example: trying to get a line to Aberdeen;
27b. A telephone number that connects the caller to some kind of special service, such as Childline or hot line.
28. A company running regular services of ships, buses or aircraft between two or more places.
29. An arrangement of troops or ships side by side and ready to fight.
30. A connected series of military defences.

Example: behind enemy lines
Form: lines (always)
31. The regular army.
32. One of several narrow horizontal bands forming a television picture.
33. The equator.

Form: the Line (often)
(N Amer)
34. A queue.
35. drug-taking slang
A small amount of powdered drugs, usually cocaine, arranged in a narrow channel, ready to be sniffed.
36. slang
A remark, usually insincere, that someone uses in the hope of getting some kind of benefit.
Example: He spun her a line
(Scots)
37. A short note written by someone in authority.

Example: The doctor's line covered her absence
(Scots)
38. A licence or certificate, eg of marriage or of church membership.

Form: lines

verb lined, lining

1. To mark or cover something with lines. See also white line.
2. To form a line along something.

Example: Crowds lined the streets

Idiom: all along the line

At every point.

Idiom: be in someone's line

To be the kind of thing someone is comfortable with.
Example: Dealing with children is not in her line

Idiom: bring someone or something into line

To make them or it conform.

Idiom: down the line

Said of the action of a ball, shot or player: very close to the edge of the court or pitch.

colloq
In the future.

Idiom: draw the line

See under draw.

Idiom: end of the line

colloq
The point at which it is useless or impossible to carry on.

Idiom: get a line on someone or something

colloq
To get information about them or it.

Idiom: hard lines!

colloq
Bad luck!

Idiom: in line for something

Likely to get it.
Example: in line for promotion

Idiom: in line to someone

In a line of succession.
Example: second in line to the boss

Idiom: in line with someone or something

In agreement or harmony with them or it.

Idiom: lay it on the line

To speak frankly.

Idiom: lay something on the line (put something on the line)

To risk one's reputation or career over something.

Idiom: on the lines of something (along the lines of something)

Sticking loosely to a specified way of doing it.

Idiom: on the right lines (along the right lines)

colloq
Approximately correct.

Idiom: out of line

Not aligned.

Impudent.

Exhibiting unacceptable behaviour.

Idiom: read between the lines

To understand something which is not actually stated.

Idiom: step out of line

See under step.

Etymology: 13c: from French ligne, combined with Anglo-Saxon line rope.

Phrasal Verb: line people or things up

To form them into a line.To align them.

Phrasal Verb: line something up

To organize it.
Example: lined herself up a new job

Phrasal Verb: line up

To form a line.To make a stand, eg in support of or against something. See line-up.