Tuesday, September 13, 2011

toe, tow

Toe or toe means one of the digits on your foot--
Ouch! I stubbed my toe.
Toe may mean to step up to a line or mark, also meaning to follow the rules--
To work here you have to toe the line.

Tow or tow ( rhymes with toe ) means to pull something, usually using a vehicle, such as a truck or car--
They had to tow my car away.
We tow our boat to the lake every summer.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He made a mark in the dirt with his toe to show where the tow truck should stop."

Note--"towed" ( rhymes with toad ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "tow"--
They towed my car away!
"Toed" ( rhymes with toad ) is the past tense of "toe"--
For the rest of the year, he toed the line and got good grades.
Not to be confused with "toad", a small bumpy frog-type creature--
The witch turned the prince into a  toad.
Note #2--a towhead is someone with light blond hair--
All of the children were freckle-faced towheads.
Note #3--someone who tows your car could be called a tower ( rhymes with mower )--
This winch is for the tower.
Not to be confused with a tower ( rhymes with power ) --a tall building or part of a building--
The tower is the highest building in the city.
Note # 4--"toe the line" means to keep your foot on the mark, or to go along with company policy, or to do things the way you are told to--
He may get fired if he refuses to toe the line.
Not to be confused with a towline or tow-line, meaning the rope used to tow or pull something--
If the towline breaks, we'll have to stop.

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