granny knot
1
8.5
- noun
- /ˈɡræn.i nɑt/
- Specialized
:
nudo de abuela
- After I accidentally tied a granny knot, I found that my package came loose and fell apart.
Examples
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...within so much as ten feet of me and I'm gonna tie your weenie in a granny knot!
-
Growing up, my only exposure to military culture was my dad, who served in the Navy for two years, trying to teach me the difference between a square knot and a granny knot.
Blog text (21) -
When tying your shoelaces, be careful not to use a granny knot, as it can easily come undone.
-
The instructions warned that using a granny knot instead of a proper knot could lead to the ropes slipping.
Synonyms
1
9.8
A badly tied knot in a rope that can come apart
How Secure
- Specialized
- Specialized
4
8.2
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
8.5
3
5.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'an insecure knot made by tying a reef knot incorrectly' is not transparently built from 'granny' (typically 'grandmother') plus 'knot' — 'granny' does not convey 'insecure' or 'mistakenly tied' to a B1 learner. This is a conventional, specialized label for a particular tying error, so the overall meaning cannot be reliably inferred from the constituents without prior exposure.
Etymology
The noun granny knot may come from the picture of a granny tying a quick, clumsy knot that slips. Because it is tied the wrong way, a granny knot will 'come undone' easily, so the name now means an insecure or unreliable knot.