Definition of toehold
1a
: 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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for toehold
The first known use of toehold was in 1880
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