| assembly line |
a way of putting together a product in a factory by moving it along a line of workers. Each worker adds or adjusts a part until the product is finished. |
| base line |
in baseball, the area within which a runner must stay while running from base to base. [3 definitions] |
| bottom line |
(informal) the final figure or lowest line in a financial statement, showing net profit or loss. [2 definitions] |
| bread line |
a line in which people stand to receive food from a charity organization or the government during hard times, or the people in such a line. |
| cell line |
a cell culture produced from a single cell. |
| color line |
any institutionalized separation of races that is based on skin color and that results in social and economic discrimination and oppression; color bar. |
| date line |
see "International Date Line." |
| DEW line |
a line of radar stations, located along the seventieth parallel in Canada and the United States, that provides advance notice of approaching hostile aircraft or missiles (acronym for "distant early warning"). |
| draw the line |
to set a limit. |
| drop (someone) a line |
to write a brief letter or note to (someone). |
| end line |
either of two lines, one at each end of a basketball court, football field, or the like, that marks the limit of the playing area. |
| fall line |
a geographical line connecting the waterfalls of parallel rivers that indicates a drop in land level. [2 definitions] |
| finish line |
a line that marks the end of a race. The first person who crosses the finish line in a race is the winner. |
| firing line |
the line or set of positions from which troops fire at an enemy or targets. [3 definitions] |
| foul line |
either of the lines on a baseball field drawn from home plate through first and third bases to the outfield. Foul lines mark the area within which fair play takes place. [2 definitions] |
| frost line |
the limit past which frost does not penetrate the soil. |
| hard-line |
unwilling to yield, esp. in regard to ideas or ideology. |
| hook, line, and sinker |
(informal) without any question or hesitation; completely. |
| hot line |
a direct communication system set up for use in times of emergency or crisis, esp. between heads of government. [2 definitions] |
| in-line skate |
a roller skate consisting of a boot with wheels attached in a single line down the middle of the sole. |