"On Line" or "In Line"

[Xprimentyl]

Another linguistic conundrum, friends: whilst waiting to pay for your groceries, renew your driver?s license or some other mundane task that invariably involves a slew of fleshbags that inconveniently arrived before you, are you ?in line? or are you ?on line?? To me, it has been and always will be ?in line,? but for the first time a few days ago, and three times from three separate people since then, I heard mention of someone standing ?on line.? Insanity. Is this a new thing or a regional thing? As a literal part of the line, you?re IN the line, common sense!! What do you say?

 

[Baffle]

In line. Any other answer is wrong and reeks of intolerance.

 

[Abomination]

In line is to conform, or join something.

On line is to be activated in the present tense.

 

[Xprimentyl]

In line. Any other answer is wrong and reeks of intolerance.

EXACTLY!! Wait, are you agreeing with me or agreeing at me? XD

 

[Baffle]

EXACTLY!! Wait, are you agreeing with me or agreeing at me? XD

I'm agreeing on you.

 

[Satinavian]

In line

 

[Xprimentyl]

EXACTLY!! Wait, are you agreeing with me or agreeing at me? XD

I'm agreeing on you.

Sheesh, I didn't even get dinner, drinks and a movie first!

 

[Canadamus Prime]

In line means to wait in a single file line or queue. On line means to be activated, usually referring to machines or internet users.

 

[bluegate]

In line.

I would assume that people who use "on line" are the same people that use the verb "cringe" as an adjective.

 

[Xprimentyl]

In line is to conform, or join something.

On line is to be activated in the present tense.

In line means to wait in a single file line or queue. On line means to be activated, usually referring to machines or internet users.

Yes, I?m aware of the phrases? meanings devoid of context, but I?m questioning how I?m now hearing them used interchangeably in the former context of a queue of people. Sounds like thus far we?re in accord that ?on line? isn?t correct, but language is ever-evolving; perhaps somewhere, ?on line? gained footing and is spreading, or maybe I just recently chanced into a cluster of anomalous misuses; who knows? ?Tis why the question was raised.

In line.

I would assume that people who use "on line" are the same people that use the verb "cringe" as an adjective.

Hmm, this is new to me; do you have an example? The only context I can think of cringe used as an adjective is ?cringe comedy? (i.e.: The Office or Parks and Recreation) which I don?t necessarily take issue with; we?ve had the likes of ?buddy? comedies, ?chick? flicks and ?hack-n-slash? videogames for decades.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

In line is to conform, or join something.

On line is to be activated in the present tense.

In line means to wait in a single file line or queue. On line means to be activated, usually referring to machines or internet users.

Yes, I?m aware of the phrases? meanings devoid of context, but I?m questioning how I?m now hearing them used interchangeably in the former context of a queue of people. Sounds like thus far we?re in accord that ?on line? isn?t correct, but language is ever-evolving; perhaps somewhere, ?on line? gained footing and is spreading, or maybe I just recently chanced into a cluster of anomalous misuses; who knows? ?Tis why the question was raised.

Well I can't help you there. I've never heard "on line" being used in place of "in line." My first instinct is to assume that it's just a select group of people using the term incorrectly.

 

[Asita]

In line.

I would assume that people who use "on line" are the same people that use the verb "cringe" as an adjective.

Hmm, this is new to me; do you have an example? The only context I can think of cringe used as an adjective is ?cringe comedy? (i.e.: The Office or Parks and Recreation) which I don?t necessarily take issue with; we?ve had the likes of ?buddy? comedies, ?chick? flicks and ?hack-n-slash? videogames for decades.

Since you ask: "I tried watching this new anime, but it was so cringe...it was like it was trying to prove every negative stereotype about the medium". "The setup for the movie was a bit cringe, but it turned out to be surprisingly sweet." "They just...really? Why would they do that? It's so cringe!"

Basically, think of any context where you'd use the word "cringeworthy" and shorten it to "cringe".

 

[bluegate]

In line.

I would assume that people who use "on line" are the same people that use the verb "cringe" as an adjective.

Hmm, this is new to me; do you have an example? The only context I can think of cringe used as an adjective is ?cringe comedy? (i.e.: The Office or Parks and Recreation) which I don?t necessarily take issue with; we?ve had the likes of ?buddy? comedies, ?chick? flicks and ?hack-n-slash? videogames for decades.

New to you, huh? Well, I envy you.

I see that Asita was kind enough to provide examples 😊

 

[Xprimentyl]

In line.

I would assume that people who use "on line" are the same people that use the verb "cringe" as an adjective.

Hmm, this is new to me; do you have an example? The only context I can think of cringe used as an adjective is ?cringe comedy? (i.e.: The Office or Parks and Recreation) which I don?t necessarily take issue with; we?ve had the likes of ?buddy? comedies, ?chick? flicks and ?hack-n-slash? videogames for decades.

Since you ask: "I tried watching this new anime, but it was so cringe...it was like it was trying to prove every negative stereotype about the medium". "The setup for the movie was a bit cringe, but it turned out to be surprisingly sweet." "They just...really? Why would they do that? It's so cringe!"

Basically, think of any context where you'd use the word "cringeworthy" and shorten it to "cringe".

I?ve honestly never heard it used that way, and thank God for it. Sounds like something you?d hear in a hipster cafe or suburban middle school girls? locker room.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

In line.

I would assume that people who use "on line" are the same people that use the verb "cringe" as an adjective.

Hmm, this is new to me; do you have an example? The only context I can think of cringe used as an adjective is ?cringe comedy? (i.e.: The Office or Parks and Recreation) which I don?t necessarily take issue with; we?ve had the likes of ?buddy? comedies, ?chick? flicks and ?hack-n-slash? videogames for decades.

Since you ask: "I tried watching this new anime, but it was so cringe...it was like it was trying to prove every negative stereotype about the medium". "The setup for the movie was a bit cringe, but it turned out to be surprisingly sweet." "They just...really? Why would they do that? It's so cringe!"

Basically, think of any context where you'd use the word "cringeworthy" and shorten it to "cringe".

For some reason I can only read your examples in a ditsy valley girl voice.

 

[Asita]

In line.

I would assume that people who use "on line" are the same people that use the verb "cringe" as an adjective.

Hmm, this is new to me; do you have an example? The only context I can think of cringe used as an adjective is ?cringe comedy? (i.e.: The Office or Parks and Recreation) which I don?t necessarily take issue with; we?ve had the likes of ?buddy? comedies, ?chick? flicks and ?hack-n-slash? videogames for decades.

Since you ask: "I tried watching this new anime, but it was so cringe...it was like it was trying to prove every negative stereotype about the medium". "The setup for the movie was a bit cringe, but it turned out to be surprisingly sweet." "They just...really? Why would they do that? It's so cringe!"

Basically, think of any context where you'd use the word "cringeworthy" and shorten it to "cringe".

I?ve honestly never heard it used that way, and thank God for it. Sounds like something you?d hear in a hipster cafe or suburban middle school girls? locker room.

Symptom of the times, I'm afraid. Remember, it's surprisingly popular (though I hope not enough to constitute a majority) to refer to dogs as "puppers", "doggos" and "woofers", to use "thicc" as a catch all term for sexy, and to describe social awareness as being "woke". It's a time when people use "yeet" instead of "throw", and use "bae" as a term of endearment, use "thirsty" to as a term for arousal, and describe anyone acting contemptuous as "throwing shade".

Either I'm getting old, or modern jargon is incredibly annoying. ...It's probably both.

 

[Silent Protagonist]

Wasn't that a joke in an episode of Futurama? The one with the "eye"phones I think.

 

[Thaluikhain]

If you are queueing up waiting for something, you are "in line", you within the queue, normally facing the back of the person in front of you, with one behind the other and order is important. Being "in line" can also mean being part of an ordered group more loosely, as a matter of attitude.

However, if I were arranging things so that there was a line of people for other reasons where the order of people isn't important, I would might say "get on line" (Stand on a real or imaginary line).

Not to be confused with "online", which is one word.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

You're in the line so you are in line. On line makes no sense unless there is an actual line on the floor that you are standing on. We need to tighten up our literacy people, it's slips like this that gave us "could care less"!

 

[Baffle]

I once worked with a guy who persistently wrote (wrote, not just said!) 'By enlarge' for 'by and large'. Drove me mad.