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Know the Ropes

To be well aware of everything around, to have knowledge of doing any complicated thing

Etymology:

  • To handle a rope, there have been many occupations in the past, but in 19th century, the expression mainly referred to Sailors. A fully assembled sailing ship often has a jumbled arrangement of so many ropes. A very experienced or expert sailor knows how to work these ropes in order to change or move the ship in the right direction. Later in 19th century, whoever has knowledge of doing complicated tasks was said to “know the ropes”.
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To fix this kind of problem, only John can help us because he really knows the ropes.

Submitted on February 25, 2019

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    "Know the Ropes." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/know-the-ropes_44814>.

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