party linen.
/ˌpɑːtɪ ˈlʌɪn/, U.S. /ˈpɑrdi ˈlaɪn/ 1. A policy or set of policies officially adopted by a political party. In early use also: a division in matters of policy, etc., separating political parties. Also in extended use: the official or accepted viewpoint or attitude of a person or group.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > [noun] > party principles or line
party line1837
party platform1848
line1892
tabernacle1902
1837 Milwaukee Advertiser 25 Mar. 3/5 But should they succeed, they would at once trumpet forth to the world that the party lines were drawn, that the Bank party was triumphant.
1854 T. H. Benton Thirty Years' View I. ciii. 431/2 Look at the vote in the Senate upon the adoption of the resolution, also as clearly defined by a party line as any party question can ever be expected to be.
1874 J. M. Hart German Universities i. xi. 160 The party line between [the U.S.] Southerner and Northerner was drawn very sharply in Heidelberg.
1904 G. B. Shaw Common Sense of Munic. Trading xi. 105 A councillor selected on strict party lines.
1948 Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Okla.) 2 May 5/4 On party-line votes, this will give the democrats guarantee of a two-thirds majority.
1975 J. P. Morgan House of Lords & Labour Govt. iv. 134 It can be safely concluded that, for whatever reason, there is such a phenomenon as party-line voting in the Lords.
2002 N.Y. Times 28 July iv. 12/1 Like the good soldier and loyal adviser that he is, Mr. Powell has swallowed the defeats, defended the party line and turned to the next crisis.
2. A telephone line shared by two or more subscribers; a telecommunication or computer link shared by two or more users. Also figurative.
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society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > [noun] > line > types of
private line1852
outside line1861
firewire1883
party line1893
order wire1912
tie-line1923
open line1941
hotline1954
1893 W. J. Hopkins Telephone Lines i. 4 When ‘party lines’, so called, are used, they should be connected according to the ‘bridging-bell’ method.
1901 Ann. Rep. Amer. Telephone & Telegr. Co. 1900 The general adoption of..party lines..has attracted many thousands of subscribers.
1935 Fortune Aug. 47 Mom told how she'd heard over the party line that so and so had a new car and how her neighbor lost fifty of her chicks.
1959 Punch 19 Aug. 30/3 The new ‘party-line’ electronic stethoscope..allows up to four doctors to listen to a patient's heart simultaneously.
1973 M. Russell Double Hit vi. 44 He overheard things on our party line.
1989 R. Hansen Nebraska Stories 131 Our section of the county is on a party line: the snoops were getting their usual earful.
1989 C. Stoll Cuckoo's Egg xvi. 84 Our ethernet was a party line that snaked through every office.
1997 Racing Pigeon Internat. Sept. 21/2 In those days there were no individual telephones and most homes were on a party-line.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1837