drawn a line in the sand
Set firm boundary
To draw a line in the sand is to establish a firm limit or boundary, declaring what you will not accept or tolerate.
The image is of marking a literal line that others dare not cross.
The phrase often signals resolve before a confrontation: The union has drawn a line in the sand on pension cuts.
Because sand shifts and erases easily, the expression can also suggest a boundary that may not hold.
- resolveFirmness of purpose
- take a standPublicly commit to a position
- principleFundamental truth or standard
- moral compassInner ethical guidance system
- boundaryLine marking a limit
hard limit · ultimatum · last resort · stance · metaphor · limit · determination · stand your ground · red line · decisiveness · integrity · conviction · morality · firmness · non-negotiable · deal breaker · confrontation · figure of speech
drawn a line in the sandcaved in
Collapsed or capitulated
compromised · capitulated · backed down · bent over backwards · yielded
drawn a line in the sandcompromised
Made vulnerable to harm
negotiated · split the difference · accommodated · bent the rules · played ball
drawn a line in the sandwaffled
Spoke evasively, indecisively
equivocated · sat on the fence · hedged · dithered · hemmed and hawed
draws, drawing, drawings, drawn, others, lines, lined, lining, liners