to walk the chalk
Preserved but no longer current.
An ordeal used at police stations, in barracks, on board ship, etc., as a test of sobriety. Two parallel lines are chalked on the floor and the delinquent must walk between them without stepping on either.
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 walk the chalk” mean?
An ordeal used at police stations, in barracks, on board ship, etc., as a test of sobriety. Two parallel lines are chalked on the floor and the delinquent must walk between them without stepping on either.
Is “to walk the chalk” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.