Does one stand "in" a line or "on" a line?

Ug. IN. Tell those New Yorkers they have it wrong.

I believe it’s a geographical thing.

To me, “on” line just doesn’t make sense. How can you stand ON line? When you see a line for something you want, you go stand IN the line. How can you stand ON it? The other people IN the line might get annoyed if you stand ON them.

I stand in a line ( cue ) .
Unless its a line painted on the ground, then i tend to stand either side of it .

IN! To stand “on” a line, wouldn’t there have to actually be a line drawn where the people are standing? That doesn’t even make sense!

What doesn’t make sense?
The fact that you would stand on a line drawn on the ground or that people would put lines on the ground for you to walk on. So you knew where to walk if there were no barriers .

I’ll say, “I was on line at the grocery store…”, but then in another context say that I was standing in line. So for me it goes both ways. Maybe my mood. Not sure really.

@Dorkgirl To me that implies you were on-line at the grocery store. On-line being connected to the internet .
that may just be me tho .

I think it depends on what side of the Atlantic you are standing in. On line sounds Brit, in line sounds Yank. A friend called me for saying on line and the only thind I could think of was that I watch a lot of PBS drama and BBC America comedy. <;P

Thank god am not British then . Tho i tend to use IN line and i am from Scotland , those pesky English * shakes fist at them *

@sandystrachan—I think the hypen (on line vs. on-line or online) makes a difference when written.
Maybe it’s coastal. My parents were from NY & NJ, and I grew up in California, so maybe I’ve got a little of both when I speak.

Depends on where you draw the line.

@sandystrachan Standing “on” a line (as opposed to “in line”) doesn’t make sense.

I wouldn’t directly stand ON a line if it were drawn on the ground for a cue, my feet would be either side. But regardless i think it may only be an English thing to say on line for a cue. Everyone i know and have heard saying IN a cue or line tho line was used primarily in school it tends to be cue we say . I would only ever use ON line as in telephone line ” That sales person had me on line all day, waiting IN that damn cue.” you could use line where i said “cue” tho .

I think it’s in a queue and on line.

In!

In line.

Queue up Yankee.

I stand ON line. (I was raised by New Yorkers) People make fun of me.

when i was in the military, our company commander would during boot camp would wake us in the morning and order us all “on the line.” in which case we would have to get up and stand at attention with our toes on the line that ran parallel to the foot of our bunks.

a line is a two dimensional concept, therefore a three dimensional object(us) can not be “in” a line.

In. Online requires a computer.

I’m a new Yorker and we say both get in line or get on line. Or more correctly,
“Listen, I’l get the f%*k on line babe and yu wait ova thair with your sistah”.

Yes!

When I’m ready to go somewhere and somebody I’m going with isn’t, I’m waiting on him. When I’m at the supermarket waiting to buy groceries I’m waiting on line. When somebody does something that should irritate me, I try not to get upset behind it. When I drop my children off to spend the night with their grandmother, they are staying the night by her.

Little differences in speaking drives some people batty. I love it.

@gimmedat how is the person supposed to get ready if you’re on them? No wonder you have to wait for people! :P

Unless there is a line drawn on the floor where I am standing, I am in line! I know gimmedat stands on line, and what is interesting that she can be standing on line right next to me standing in line. Strange how that works isn’t it?

I say in line. It’s what I was brought up with. I’d heard queue from years of watching UK television. I heard on line only when I moved to NYC. Every once in a while, I say queue, though, and New Yorkers understand me.

I don’t know.. let me jump inline to google and find out.

@ABoyNamedBoobs03
You don’t remember the 80’s. There were many 3 dimensional lines

I will stand on people while I’m in line if they don’t move fast enough for my purposes and I have to bowl them over to get past.

Well, if I’m at Toidy-toid and Toid neah the pawk, I am standing on line for cawfee. But if I am in Seattle I am standing in line for a Grande Half-Caf Latte, Extra Foam.

Listen to the classic Chris de Burgh song “Man on the line.” On line should be used only in the telephone sense. In line should be used for roller blades.

In front of you is the correct term in English, as in: “Hey, I’m in front of you, dammit!”

Because I’m British, I QUEUE :) But when I’m queuing, I’m standing IN a line.

:)

All my life, as I would (as the British say) “queue up” I would call it standing “in line.” That is not to be confused with “inline” or “in-line” as in skates, or as part of a system, as an assembly line. When I went through my induction into the military, there were different colored lines painted on the floor. In that case I would stand “on the line”. I have heard on line (two words, no hyphen) used in place of what I would call in line”; on line, online and on-line I have generally heard used in connection with the Internet or other computer network applications.

Apparently, not a lot of New Yorkers Fluther.

@Darwin
me, tits, bronx…there’s more than a few of us. I just don’t think the line thing is that big of a distinction…now what passes for pizza in the rest of the country…well that’s a crime.

@SeventhSense – Well, much as I love New York pizza, I have to admit that I live in a two pizza household because my husband is from Chicago. Or as he says it “What’s it to ya? Go Bears!”

Da Bears..

@SeventhSense I lolfr.

I say in line however where does queue come from, watching all creatures great and small my favorite series since I was young. I love how brits talk it seems so much more fun. Like herbs (eddie izzard) wondering why people say you look smart when dressed up?