learn the ropes
This page is about the idiom learn the ropes
Meaning
If you learn the ropes, you learn how to do a job properly, or how things work and how to get things done.
For example
- Ruth will teach you what to do, and it shouldn't take you too long to learn the ropes.
- It can take quite a while for a new lawyer to learn the ropes in a big legal firm.
See also "know the ropes".
Origin: Possibly derived from the days of sailing ships when sailors learned how to tie knots and handle ropes that were attached to the sails. A sailor who was learning all this was said to be "learning the ropes".
Learn idioms easily with
Common English Idioms PDF ebook!
Contributor: Matt Errey