devil's rope
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Barbed wire
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
The devil's rope was originally designed to keep cows from roaming, Indians from encroaching, and the cowboys from singing their lonesome ballads.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “devil's rope” mean?
Barbed wire
Is “devil's rope” formal or informal?
devil's rope is generally slang.