ledger line

American  

noun

1. Also called added line.  Music. Also a short line added when necessary above or below the staff to increase the range of the staff.

2. Angling. a line so set that both the bait and sinker rest on the bottom.

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ledger line British  

noun

1. music a short line placed above or below the staff to accommodate notes representing pitches above or below the staff

2. angling a line using ledger tackle

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Etymology

Origin of ledger line

1690–1700 ledger line for def. 2; 1880–85 ledger line for def. 1

Example Sentences

Bender testified that it was not his job to look at the ledger line by line.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2022

He shuffled in, and she pored over the ledger, line after line of unidentified dead, its pages blown by an air-conditioner propped up on two broken cinder blocks.

From New York Times • Aug. 30, 2010