along the line
During some event or timeframe. I had known Liz for years, but somewhere along the line in college, we fell in love. Along the line, my son's illness was misdiagnosed, and now he's very sick.
along the line
or down the line
COMMON If something happens along the line or down the line, it happens during the course of a situation or activity, often at a point that cannot be exactly identified. And then somewhere along the line I looked at what was really happening. Admittedly every parent makes mistakes along the line. They feel that something went wrong somewhere down the line. Compare with down the line.