On the Line

[masako]

hey does anyone can make it clear to me what does mean phrase "on the line" i took it from one song it goes like "Baby don't you wanna play it, on the line?" what the hell does it mean. and more like this "my live is on the line" I CAN'T GET IT! i just dont know the right meaning. and that's why i am here. so a thousand thanks.

[Casiopea]

It means to put one's life or career or reputation or feelings in danger or jeopardy. The idiom, I believe, comes from the practice of war. Soldiers were positioned between two lines: the enemy's line, which they faced, and the dead line, which was drawn in the dirt behind them. Soldiers crossing the enemy's line went into battle, and soliders crossing the dead line, or running away from the battle, were shot by their own men. That's why, being 'on the line' is considered to be a dangerous position to be in.