toeholds

Noun

toehold (plural toeholds)

1. A foothold small enough to support just the toe.
2. (broadly, figuratively) Any small advantage which allows one to make significant progress; a slight footing or foothold.
   • Were Herat to fall to the Persians, this would give the Russians a crucial and dangerous toe-hold in western Afghanistan.1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 151
3. A hold in which the aggressor bends back the opponent's foot.