Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
devil's rope en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) Mortal sin.
...those who are dragged to the gallows of hell by the devil's rope, that is, mortal sin, and will not confess.
2008, Preaching in the Age of Chaucer: Selected Sermons in Translation, →ISBN, page 29:
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(countable, uncountable) An open branching shrub (Cylindropuntia imbricata) with cylindrical joints, which are covered with short raised ridges like the plait of a rope.
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(countable, uncountable) A variety of cochineal, (Dactylopius newsteadi), used to destroy Cylindropuntia imbricata.
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(US, countable, qualifier:southwest, slang, uncountable) Barbed wire
The devil's rope was originally designed to keep cows from roaming, Indians from encroaching, and the cowboys from singing their lonesome ballads.
2011, Linh Dinh, Love Like Hate: A Novel, →ISBN, page 94:
Forms