to draw the line
Preserved but no longer current.
To set a definite limit be- yond which one refuses to go; to impose a restriction on one's behaviour from fear of going too far. "He was utterly unprincipled, but he drew the line at blackmail," i.e. he would stop short at blackmail.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to draw the line” mean?
To set a definite limit be- yond which one refuses to go; to impose a restriction on one's behaviour from fear of going too far. "He was utterly unprincipled, but he drew the line at blackmail," i.e. he would stop short at blackmail.
Is “to draw the line” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.