rope-a-dope en · NOUN
Etymology
See Rope-a-dope.
Meanings
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A technique in which the boxer assumes a defensive stance against the ropes and absorbs an opponent's blows, hoping to exploit eventual tiredness or a mistake.
He sounded like a retired boxer who'd specialized in the rope-a-dope.
1999, James W Hall, Tropical Freeze:I went into my own version of Ali's rope-a-dope, ducking as many of the heavy blows as I could, and waiting for some kind of idea to come to me.
2003, Steve Hamilton, North of Nowhere:
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(figuratively) Any strategy where an apparently losing position is assumed in the hope of eventual victory.
[…] process that in recent years has degenerated, sadly, into one long scorched-earth campaign filled with partisan rancor and legislative rope-a-dope.
2002, Steven Hill, Fixing Elections:Maybe, I suggested, it was the old rope-a-dope to lower expectations, but that was tougher for him than it had been in 2000: He was now the president.
2007, Robert Shrum, No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| rope-a-dopes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |