#912 Towed Whet

I’m sure there’s a discussion on this online somewhere. There are no new ideas under the sun. It’s remarkable what a versatile and confusing language we have.
Like the phrase “w(h)et your appetite.”
Because my brain doesn’t go out of its way to complexify things, I always thought the wet in w(h)et your appetite was spelled w-e-t. I figured it was like wet your whistle. You can’t whistle if your mouth is dry, so preparatory to emitting a toot, one licks one’s lips.
Thereby wetting one’s whistle.
Recently I saw it spelled w-h-e-t, as in sharpen. And that made a lot more sense appetite-wise. Of course you whet your appetite with a wine. It’s not that the wine is wet, it’s that the wine helps sharpen your taste.
My bad. Dull thinking. I need to whet my brain.
But recently I saw someone spell the phrase “to(w)ed the line” t-o-w-e-d- and not t-o-e-d. It seems to change the meaning completely.
I had first heard it used in what I assumed to be a description of a person following the rules. Make sure you toe the line or we’ll discipline you. Toe the line would be like keeping your toe on the starting line in a race. Toe the mark as it were. Stay within established boundaries and rules.
Maybe I took it from my kindergarten days when I was warned to color within the lines.
But this writer used the phrase differently, and used the base word t-o-w-, as in pull. It was in the context of every one pulling together. We’re aren’t going to make it if we don’t all tow the line. Now instead of a piece of advice about being a rule-following conformist it was an admonition to be a part of a team.
It could certainly be confusing to a foreigner trying to learn our language. Because broadly, they both mean to work together for the common good. Following the rules of society helps us all work together and working together helps ease the frictions in society that lead to rule-breaking and conflict.
So I guess it doesn’t matter how you spell it. Either way it’s a great feat.
America, ya gotta love it.