Toe the line Toe the line "Toe the line" is an idiomatic expression meaning either to conform to a rule or standard, or to stand poised at the starting line in a footrace. Other phrases which were once used in the early 1800s and have the same meaning were toe the mark and toe the plank. The expression has disputed origins. Those suggested are from public school, the armed services, or possibly the British House of Commons. It is common practice in many long-established schools for roll-call to be taken twice a day, at which the pupils line up with their toes exactly
Names for the human species "Gaian") is frequently used, as it were naming humanity by its planet of origin. Incidentally, this situation parallels the naming motive of ancient terms for humanity, including "human" ("homo", "humanus") itself, derived from a word for "earth" to contrast humans as earth-bound with celestial beings (i.e. deities) in mythology. Names for the human species The common name of the human species in English is historically "man" (from Germanic), often replaced by the Latinate "human" (since the 16th century). In addition to the generally accepted taxonomic name "Homo sapiens" (Latin: "sapient man", Linnaeus 1758), other Latin-based names for the human species