toehold

1. a small foothold to facilitate climbing

2. a wrestling hold in which the opponent's toe is held and his leg twisted against the joints

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

toehold

A batten or board which is nailed, temporarily, to a sloping roof to act as a footing for workmen.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.