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meaning of "go out on the toe"



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
usage of "offer somebody resistance" | Championship vs Competiton
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meaning of "go out on the toe" #1 (permalink) Sat Jan 05, 2008 22:51 pm   meaning of "go out on the toe"
 

Hi,

I can't work out what the part in bold might mean. Could you explain its meaning to me please?
Quote:
Ruth banished the three hippies from the town. Those worthless, crab-raddled
excuses for human beings came in one month and went out on the toe of Ruth's dainty size five shoe the next


Also, is it right that size five shoes means a pair of shoes which size is five?

Thanks in advance !
Lost_Soul
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Joined: 15 Sep 2006
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Location: South Park, Colorado, USA

meaning of "go out on the toe" #2 (permalink) Sun Jan 06, 2008 6:22 am   meaning of "go out on the toe"
 

Ruth has very small feet, so her shoes are only size five. Saying that the hippies went out on the toe of her size-five shoes means that she kicked them out. In other words, she gave them the boot. She ejected them from the town.

The whole thing gives the image of a small, genteel, dainty woman who is tough enough to throw bigger, more vulgar, more obnoxious people out of town all by herself.
Jamie (K)
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meaning of "go out on the toe" #3 (permalink) Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:02 am   meaning of "go out on the toe"
 

Thank you !
It is a metaphorical language Smile
Lost_Soul
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Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 1861
Location: South Park, Colorado, USA

meaning of "go out on the toe" #4 (permalink) Sun Jan 06, 2008 14:53 pm   meaning of "go out on the toe"
 

But note that it's not a common expression. I think it's probably unique to that text.
Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 5332
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA

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