know the ropes

To understand the detail or procedure

know what's o'clock (obsolete) or know what's what

To have one's wits about one, be on the ball

know which side one's bread is buttered on

To be looking after one's own interests

there is no knowing

One cannot tell

what do you know?

1. What is the news?
2. A greeting or expression of incredulity

you know (informal)

Used as a conversation filler, marking a pause, sometimes for emphasis but often almost meaningless

you never know (informal)

Perhaps

rope /rōp/

noun

1. A stout twist of fibre, wire, etc, technically over 1 inch round
2. A string of pearls, onions, etc
3. A glutinous stringy formation
4. A local lineal measure, 20 feet
5. A climbing party roped together

transitive verb

1. To fasten, bind, enclose, mark off, or (US and Aust) catch with a rope
2. To hold back to avoid winning (horse-racing)

intransitive verb

To form into a rope

ropˈable or ropeˈable adjective (Aust and NZ slang; of cattle or horses)

1. Wild, unmanageable
2. Very angry

roped /rōpt/ adjective

rōˈper noun

1. A rope-maker
2. A person who ropes a horse
3. A decoy (also rōˈper-inˈ)

rōpˈery noun

1. Ropework
2. Trickery, knavery (archaic)

rōpˈily adverb

rōpˈiness noun

rōpˈing noun and adjective

rōˈpy or rōˈpey (rōˈpier; rōˈpiest) adjective

1. Stringy
2. Glutinous
3. Wrinkled like loops of rope
4. Bad of its kind (slang)
5. Slightly unwell (slang)

rope dance noun

A tightrope performance

rope dancer noun

ropeˈ-drilling noun

Boring by a drill alternately raised by a rope and then dropped

rope house noun

1. A storehouse for ropes
2. A house where salt is crystallized from brine trickling along ropes

rope ladder noun

A ladder of ropes

rope machine noun

ropeˈ-maker noun

ropeˈ-making noun

ropeˈ-ripe adjective

Deserving to be hanged

rope's end noun (historical)

1. The end of a rope used for flogging
2. A hangman's noose

rope'sˈ-end transitive verb (historical)

To beat with a rope's end

ropeˈ-soled adjective

Having a sole of rope

rope stitch noun

Satin stitch worked in stitches laid diagonally side by side

rope trick noun

1. A disappearing trick with a rope
2. Poss a rhetorical figure, or, according to some, a trick deserving the gallows (Shakespeare)

ropeˈ-walk noun

A long narrow shed or alley for twisting strands into rope

ropeˈ-walker noun

A tight-rope performer

ropeˈ-walking noun

ropeˈway noun

A means of transmission by ropes

ropeˈwork noun

1. A rope-walk or rope factory (ropeˈworks singular noun)
2. A system of ropes

rope yarn noun

Yarn for making ropes, or obtained by untwisting ropes

roping-downˈ noun (informal)

Abseiling

give someone (enough) rope (to hang himself or herself)

To allow a person full scope to defeat his or her own ends

know the ropes see under know

on the high ropes

1. Elated
2. Arrogant

on the ropes

1. Driven back against the ropes of a boxing ring
2. Nearing defeat, desperate

rope in

To bring in, enlist (esp someone who is reluctant)

ropes of sand

A bond with no cohesion

the rope

Capital punishment by hanging