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Glite Dictionary
sheepshank

sheepshank

1 9.9
A knot that shortens a rope without cutting it
  • noun
  • /ˈʃipˌʃæŋk/
  • Specialized
: nudo de oveja
  • Just tie me a sheepshank.

Examples

  • There's a sheepshank, fisherman's bend.

    Super Zeroes (2012)

  • When I find those slackers, I'll tie a sheepshank on their bedsheet butts.

    Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)

  • Sheepshank, bowline, clove hitch...

    The Story of William Tell (1953)

  • To secure the loose rope, he tied a sheepshank to take up the slack.

  • The sailor demonstrated how to efficiently use a sheepshank to shorten the line.

  • For safety, always create a sheepshank when you need to adjust the length of your rope.

Synonyms

knot
vssheepshank
131 1.0

A fastening made by tying rope or string to hold things together

is a specific tying used to shorten rope or take up slack without cutting

Surface Forms

sheepshank singular
sheepshanks plural

Morphology

sheepshank = sheep + shank (opaque) = sheep + shank

Although historically formed from 'sheep' + 'shank', the sense 'a knot for shortening rope' is not derivable from the literal meanings of the components for an average learner.

Etymology

Sheepshank comes from the parts sheep and shank, with shank meaning 'leg'; a helpful way to remember it is to picture the knot making a shape like a bent sheep leg or a loop a shepherd might use. So a sheepshank is a knot that 'shortens' a rope or 'takes up slack' without cutting it.