a knot consisting of two hitches at the ends of a bight made in a rope to shorten it temporarily
sheepshank in American English
(ʃipˌʃæŋk)
noun
a knot used for shortening a rope
sheepshank in American English
(ˈʃipˌʃæŋk)
noun
a kind of knot, hitch, or bend made on a rope to shorten it temporarily
Word origin
[1635–45; short for sheepshank knot; literal sense unclear]This word is first recorded in the period 1635–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cascade, intaglio, reaction, recruit, sympathetic