As we said, when you are on your toes, you are prepared to take action. But when standing on your tiptoes, you are not very balanced. You are either trying to make yourself taller to reach something or you are trying to walk very quietly.

So, in American English, to tiptoe around something means to avoid an issue or talking about something in an indirect way.

Here’s an example of this expression.

“At the community meeting, city officials tiptoed around the issue of violence in schools for too long. Parents came to the meeting to hear solutions and not evasive language.”

Now, toes are important when we walk. They help us keep our balance. But they are good at something else.

Imagine a person running up to a lake or the ocean to take a swim. Some brave people might just jump right in. They don’t care how cold the water is. Others may want to test the water temperature first. So, they put a toe in the water before jumping in.

There are other situations where you should put your toes in the water before jumping right in.

Before moving to a new city or perhaps starting a new job, you need to do some serious thinking. When some people start a job, they may want to jump right in. But others move more slowly so as to avoid any unnecessary risk. Unsure about how their abilities measure up in the workplace, they tiptoe around co-workers. Or they are careful to avoid politically divisive or touchy subjects.

Working in this way, new employees won't make anyone angry. They won't step on anyone's toes.

Now, when you actually step on someone’s toes, most people simply apologize and that will be that. But stepping on someone’s toes in the idiomatic sense is more serious. It means you have done something on purpose to offend someone else.

But stepping on a co-worker's toes is not the worst thing you can do. If you go toe-to-toe with someone – that can be much worse!

Well, actually, that depends.

Toe-to-toe has two meanings: to be in direct competition with someone or to fight with someone. So, going toe-to-toe with a co-worker in a friendly, but competitive way is fine. In fact, employees are often expected to compete with one another in the workplace. If you are sure in your abilities, you are not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone.

However, going toe-to-toe with a co-worker by having a fight or argument with them is not a good idea.

The company might fire one or both workers! At the very least going-toe-to-toe can create a difficult work environment. So, sometimes it's a good idea to toe the line when you start working a new job. Just follow the rules and do your best not to step on anyone's toes.

Some native English speakers think this expression starts with the verb “tow,” meaning to pull. It's not hard to understand why. We often tow things with a line of rope. But in this expression, the word "toe" is spelled t-o-e -- not t-o-w.

Word historians have attempted to explain the origin of this expression. Some claim it comes from the sport of boxing. In the boxing ring, fighters are so close to each other that their toes seem to touch.

However, the one story that connects most closely with following the rules is from boating.

Some people say that in the 19th century, sailors faced punishment if they did not obey shipping rules. To prepare, crew members would stand in a line with their toes on a crack, or line, between the wooden boards that make up the deck of the ship.

evasive – adj. not honest or direct
idiomatic – adj. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own
fire – v. to dismiss from employment
deck – n. a flat surface that forms the main outside floor of a boat or ship
curl – v. to twist or form (something) into a round or curved shape : to become curved or rounded