to know the ropes
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To be up to all the tricks and dodges ; to know exactly what is the proper thing to do.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to know the ropes” mean?
To be up to all the tricks and dodges ; to know exactly what is the proper thing to do.
Is “to know the ropes” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.