party line

[ pahr-tee lahyn pahr-tee lahyn ]

noun

1. the authorized, prescribed policies and practices of a group, especially of the Communist Party, usually followed by the members without deviation; official philosophy or credo.
2. the guiding policy, tenets, or practices of a political party:

   The judge was chosen on party lines.

3. a telephone line connecting the telephones of a number of subscribers by one circuit to a central office, used in some rural areas.
4. the boundary line separating adjoining properties.

party line

noun

1. a telephone line serving two or more subscribers
2. the policies or dogma of a political party, to which all members are expected to subscribe
3. the boundary between adjoining property

Other Words From

• party-line adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of party line¹

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Idioms and Phrases

The official policy of an organization or government, as in The current party line opposes legalized abortion in all cases . This term, dating from about 1830, was originally used for a political party's official policy but in the mid-1900s was almost exclusively applied to the rigid dicta of the Soviet Communist Party. Since then it has returned to looser use.