Meaning
To know how to do something properly; from novice crew members on sailing ships having to learn what all the ropes were for and how to handle them.
Examples
“You won’t have to train the new computer operator; she already knows the ropes.”
He tried hiring more salesmen to push his radio products, but they took too much time to learn the ropes.
Origin
Synonyms
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does the idiom ‘know the ropes’ mean?
The idiom ‘know the ropes’ means “to deal with a difficult situation without being harmed or damaged”
How do you use ‘know the ropes’ in a sentence?
Example usage of idiom ‘know the ropes’: Newspapers have weathered the storm of online information by providing news online themselves.