1053. If you’ve ever hesitated between ‘toe the line’ and ‘tow the line,’ this episode is for you. We look at the phrase's history to clear up the confusion. Then, we look at metonymy and synecdoche — powerful literary devices that can make your writing more compelling.

The metonymy segment was written by Jim Norrena, MFA, who has been writing and editing professionally for more than 35 years in the publishing and academic industries within the Bay Area. After earning his MFA in Writing and a UC Berkeley Extension certification in copyediting, he founded TypoSuction.com, an independent writing and editing service. Additionally, he has taught grammar and copyediting intensives and professional proofreading workshops at Media Alliance and served as events coordinator for Bay Area Editors’ Forum (BAEF).

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'Toeing' the line. Metonym versus synecdoche. Ghost town mad

Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

'Toeing' the line. Metonym versus synecdoche. Ghost town mad