get a toehold

get a toehold

To obtain an initial, stable position from which one can progress in a particular industry or area. Taking a role on a soap opera has helped many aspiring actors get a toehold in the entertainment business.
See also: get
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

get a toehold

tv. to work one’s way into some association or relationship. As soon as I get a toehold in the company, I’ll be more relaxed.
See also: get
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • help (someone) get a foothold in (something)
  • soft soap
  • caught up in (something)
  • soap up
  • get (something) for (someone or something)
  • soap down
  • catch up in
  • catch up in (something)
  • caught up in
  • go on to
References in periodicals archive
In their recent mathematical analysis reported in Nature, researchers have shown that a single tit-for-tat player in a population of defectors can sometimes get a toehold and then drive the defectors to extinction, provided the population is fairly small.
Generous players: game theory explores the Golden Rule's place in biology
Drawing on research at leading universities, the Joyce Foundation reveals in the report that employment-based policies adopted by many states - especially in economic good times - have helped some families get a toehold on the economic ladder.
Working but still poor -- U.S. study. (General)