walking the line

Verb

walk the line (third-person singular simple present walks the line, present participle walking the line, simple past and past participle walked the line)

1. (idiomatic) To maintain an intermediate position between contrasting choices, opinions, etc.
   • I sat at dinner, but satisfied myself with nibbling bread crusts, and witnessing the forlorn and perilous efforts of my friends to walk the line between starvation and acute indigestion.1914, Julian Hawthorne, chapter 13, in The Subterranean Brotherhood
2. (idiomatic) To act in a non-destructive or damaging manner, whether physically or mentally to those you hold dear and/or respect; to exercise self-control.
   • I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
     I keep my eyes wide open all the time
     I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
     Because you're mine, I walk the line.1956, Johnny Cash, “I Walk the Line”, Sun Records
3. To mark or secure a boundary by walking along it.
   • And on a day we meet to walk the line
     And set the wall between us once again.1914, Robert Frost, Mending Wall
4. (US, idiomatic) To participate in the procession at a graduation ceremony; to graduate.
   • A Baldwin High School student will be able to wear slacks to her graduation ceremony, under an order from the Maui School District. . . . "I'm very glad she'll be able to walk the line with her graduating class," Rosaga said.2002 May 7, Gary Kubota, “Maui girl wins right to forget the dress”, in Honolulu Star-Bulletin, archived from the original on 09 Apr 2006