Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hiromichi]

What does "a fault line" mean?

The debate has fractured along now-familiar fault lines, with Vice President *beep* Cheney and conservative hawks in the administration portraying the Israeli intelligence as credible and arguing that it should cause the United States to reconsider its diplomatic overtures to Syria and North Korea.
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Hiromichi

[Philo Kevetch]

Hello Hiromichi -

A 'fault line' is a geologic term refering to an area/place/zone where tectonic plates of the earths' crust meet and there are earthquakes.

So..'fault line' is used in your example to indicate a 'strong' split/divide
between (ultra)conservative and liberal over foreign policy. Philo

[hiromichi]

Philo Kevetch, Thank you. Now I can relate it to "active fault".
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Hiromichi