"tow the line" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tows the line",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "towing the line",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "towed the line",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "towed the line",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "tow the line (third-person singular simple present tows the line, present participle towing the line, simple past and past participle towed the line)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English eggcorns",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "[1946 April, George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”, in Cyril Connolly, editor, Horizon, volume 13, number 76, London: Horizon, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 255:",
          "text": "Some metaphors now current have been twisted out of their original meaning without those who use them even being aware of the fact. For example, toe the line is sometimes written as tow the line.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 February 6, Brad Reed, “'Inexcusable betrayal': Liz Cheney buries her party for following 'Trump's orders'”, in MSN, archived from the original on 2024-02-06, Politics:",
          "text": "This isn't the first time this week where Cheney has slammed Republicans for towing the line for Trump.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Eggcorn of toe the line."
      ],
      "id": "en-tow_the_line-en-verb-EzxkjLi1",
      "links": [
        [
          "Eggcorn",
          "eggcorn"
        ],
        [
          "toe the line",
          "toe the line#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(nonstandard) Eggcorn of toe the line."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "nonstandard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tow the line"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tows the line",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "towing the line",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "towed the line",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "towed the line",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "tow the line (third-person singular simple present tows the line, present participle towing the line, simple past and past participle towed the line)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English eggcorns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nonstandard terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "[1946 April, George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”, in Cyril Connolly, editor, Horizon, volume 13, number 76, London: Horizon, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 255:",
          "text": "Some metaphors now current have been twisted out of their original meaning without those who use them even being aware of the fact. For example, toe the line is sometimes written as tow the line.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 February 6, Brad Reed, “'Inexcusable betrayal': Liz Cheney buries her party for following 'Trump's orders'”, in MSN, archived from the original on 2024-02-06, Politics:",
          "text": "This isn't the first time this week where Cheney has slammed Republicans for towing the line for Trump.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Eggcorn of toe the line."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Eggcorn",
          "eggcorn"
        ],
        [
          "toe the line",
          "toe the line#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(nonstandard) Eggcorn of toe the line."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "nonstandard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tow the line"
}