Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

toe the line

verb

Forms toes the line toeing the line toed the line tow the line

  1. verb (idiomatic) To abide by the rules or conventions; (politics, in particular) to follow the party line. “Television shows these days do not always toe the line of decency and common sense.”
  2. verb (idiomatic) To stand at one's mark before a footrace. “Alberto Salazar is one of the most famous athletes to have toed the line at this great race.”
  3. verb (idiomatic, followed by between) To be on a boundary or in a grey area between two states. “Her stories often toe the line between fact and fiction.”
  4. verb (nonstandard) To push boundaries imposed by an authority; to push the envelope; to flirt with crossing the line. “You were really toeing the line there with those comments.”

Synonyms

walk the line sail close to the wind conform stay within the lines toe the mark toe the plank

Antonyms

cross the line

Etymology

Unknown, with multiple competing etymologies and some theorizing the phrasing originated from the United States and others the United Kingdom.

Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “toe the line”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details