chalk line

American  

noun

Building Trades.

1. a chalked string for making a straight line on a large surface, as a wall, by holding the string taut against the surface and snapping it to transfer the chalk.

2. the line so made.

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Etymology

Origin of chalk line

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

Drive another one exactly 4 feet away down the chalk line.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2022

The thing to do is snap a chalk line and cut out the dip.

From Washington Post • Jun. 30, 2020

It was 69 years ago—on April 15, 1947—that Robinson crossed the third base chalk line at Brooklyn’s Ebbet’s Field to become the first African American to play in the Major Leagues.

From Time • Apr. 15, 2016

Simple to elaborate drawings, in colored pencil, pen, marker and a few using charcoal or chalk, line the Great Hall at the Manitou Art Center.

From Washington Times • Jul. 4, 2015

The coral was scribbled in the sea as though a giant had bent down to reproduce the shape of the island in a flowing chalk line but tired before he had finished.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding