[toe.hold] n (1880) 1 a: 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 ~, then a foothold, then a near stranglehold on the political economy --R. W. Armstrong"
2: a wrestling hold in which the aggressor bends or twists his opponent's foot