cat's-paw

9.9

A rope knot that makes two loops to attach a pulley or hook

noun
/kæts pɔ/

Jargon

: nudo de gato

The sailor tied a cat's-paw in the rope before hooking it to the block.

Examples

To lift the heavy crate, they used a cat's-paw to attach the pulley system.
Before he could finish the setup, the sailor demonstrated how to tie a cat's-paw in the rope to create two attachments for the equipment.
It's important to know how to make a cat's-paw when rigging sailing equipment.
He used a cat's-paw to secure the load.
The sailor tied a cat's-paw to lift the sail.
The crew needed to make a secure cat's-paw in the line to ensure the load was lifted correctly during the operation.
When preparing the rigging, it is crucial to know how to create a cat's-paw to attach the tackle efficiently.

Surface Forms

cat's-paw singular

cat's-paws plural

Morphology

cat's-paw = cat + paw (semi-transparent) = cat + paw

The knot name is a compound based on resemblance to a cat's paw; the metaphorical naming is recognizable but the specific meaning 'type of hitch' is not predictable from components alone.

Etymology

Cat's-paw names a knot that makes two small loops and it gets this name because the loops look like a cat's paw with toes. So thinking of a cat's paw grabbing a rope helps you remember this hitch used to attach tackle.