Draw the line , which literally means “to draw the line”, is an expression we use to refer to the limits of what we are willing to do or what we consider acceptable. For example, look at this sentence:
We draw the line at acts of violent protest.
What we are saying here is that for us “acts of violent protest” go too far – that we draw the line at this, or that such acts “are already too much.”
Note that the expression is usually followed by the preposition at : We draw the line at this or We draw the line at doing this .
As for the origin of the expression, I don’t really know where it comes from and apparently the internet doesn’t know either. However, it’s obvious that draw the line refers to an imaginary “line” that we impose on ourselves and that we don’t want to cross.
What is more or less certain is that the expression became popular only in the last century, and is currently widely used and makes a valuable addition to your vocabulary. So open Anki and let’s check out some more examples. As translations, I chose the phrases “not reaching the point of”, “imposing a limit” and “it’s already too much”. See what you think and leave your suggestion too!
I swear a lot, but even I don’t draw the line at saying certain words.
I’ll do whatever my company asks me to , but I draw the line when someone asks me to lie for them.
I don’t mind doing some gardening but I draw the line at digging.
I don’t mind doing a little gardening, but digging is already too much .
We draw the line at acts of violent protest.
Acts of violent protest are already beyond our limits .
Her
father draws the line at her coming in after midnight.
It
is difficult for charities to know where to draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable sources of finance.
I ‘ll do virtually anything – although I think I’d draw the line
at running naked across the set ! ( Set, in this context, refers to the place where the action that is filmed for a movie, series, etc. takes place. )
I don’t mind my roommate being a bit messy, but leaving dirty dishes for me to clean up is where I draw the line !
If you’re going to work closely with your wife, you really need to draw the line between your professional life and your personal life. If you’re going to work closely with your wife, you really need to draw the line between your professional and personal lives .
You can make as much
noise as you want, but I don’t draw the line at fighting .
This concludes today’s post . I hope the expression “draw the line” is clear to you! But if it isn’t, remember to leave a comment and we’ll try to answer it… someday