I read the following sentence and was wondering what does the phrase 'to get in line soldier-style' mean in the context –
A third person familiar with the bank told Reuters that Pandit and O'Neill clashed because the chairman wanted the CEO "to get in line soldier-style."
Does it mean to be obedient and follow orders blindly?
Best Answer
I think there are very few Google hits because we've got two idioms butted against each other. Neither is exactly common, but they're still in use.
The first idiom is "get in line," which is often used metaphorically to mean conform to societal rules, as in this passage from Eric Bogosian's Wake Up and Smell the Coffee:
The other idiom is "soldier style," which can refer to many things, from fashion to landscaping to a rough style of living, or even to any kind of behavior considered typical of among fighting men:
But in the context of your excerpt, I think it means, as you surmised, dutifully following orders. In other words: act like a soldier. Get in line, get in line quick, and follow your marching orders – no talking back.
F O O T N O T E S
1Dennis McFarland, The Music Room, 2001
2Tom Lemmer, The Complete Guide to Masonry & Stonework, 2006
3James Norman Hall, High Adventure: A Narrative of Air Fighting in France, 1918
4James R. Arnold, Shiloh 1862: The Death Of Innocence, 1998