Rope is a word that’s been pretty much forever, dating from Old English and with similar words in many related languages. And it’s always meant the same thing too–“strong, heavy cord.”
The interesting thing about this word is more the idioms that contain it. Did you know, for instance, that to learn the ropes or to know the ropes is a sailing term? And as soon as I say that, the lightbulb goes on, right, and you go, “Oh, of COURSE!” That’s what I did, anyway. Because of course, rigging is made of ropes. So to know or learn them is to know or learn the rigging. To be/come familiar with the ship.
As early as the 1300s, rope was used as a stand-in for the idea of a noose or snare–no big surprise there, since it’s what those are made of.
The phrase “on the ropes” dates fro 1924 and appeals to boxing–if you’re on the ropes of the ring, you’re about to be defeated.
“At the end of your rope” has been an idiom since the 1680s, meaning you’ve run out of resources or ideas. At that same time, the phrase “give him enough rope to hang himself” also became popular. A similar but earlier phrase was “rope-ripe,” meaning fit to be hanged. Morbid, right? I think I’ll stick with those nautical ones. 😉
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Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.