in the line of duty
30
4.2
- idiom
- Formal
:
en el cumplimiento del deber
- He was shot in the line of duty.
- killed in the line of duty
- died in the line of duty
- officer in the line of duty
There were more people lost to suicide than were killed in the line of duty.
- There were more people lost to suicide than were killed in the line of duty.
Examples
-
The foundation was created in memory of a friend who had died in the line of duty as a law enforcement officer.
Academic text (2015) -
Aren't the names of the soldiers killed in the line of duty released to the public?
Blog text (7) -
- He died last night, killed in the line of duty.
-
-I got shot in the line of duty.
-
I lost a son in the line of duty a few months back.
Fiction book (2000) -
Because he was killed in the line of duty.
Fiction book (1994) -
A woman got shot in the line of duty and then fought her way back to the job.
Fiction book (2001) -
In the absence of more information, I'd assumed the shooting had been in the line of duty.
Fiction book (2001) -
At least ten are dead, including veteran detectives Ray Kincaid and Ellen Ridgway, who tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.
-
He died last night, killed in the line of duty.
Synonyms
32
3.4
The work or tasks someone must do as part of their job
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is largely compositional — 'in' (within) + 'line' (here with a metaphorical sense of area or scope) + 'duty' (responsibility) points to something occurring while performing one's responsibilities, so a learner can grasp the general sense. However, the use of 'line' in 'line of duty' is a conventionalized, non-literal metaphor (scope/role) and carries an official/legal nuance that may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase in the line of duty comes from the image of soldiers or officers standing in a line doing their work, so being in the line meant you were carrying out your duty and could face danger. That's why it means 'while performing one's job'.