Main Entry: toe·hold

Pronunciation: \ˈtō-ˌhōld\

Function: noun

Date: 1880

1 a : a hold or place of support for the toes (as in climbing) b (1) : a means of progressing (as in surmounting barriers) (2) : a slight footing <used his money to get a toehold, then a foothold, then a near stranglehold on the political economy — R. W. Armstrong>
2 : an illegal wrestling hold in which the aggressor bends or twists the other wrestler's foot