Blackwall hitch

[ blak-wawl ]

/ ˈblækˌwɔl /

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noun

a hitch made with a rope over a hook so that it holds fast when pulled but is loose otherwise.

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Origin of Blackwall hitch

First recorded in 1860–65; named after Blackwall, a London shipyard

Words nearby Blackwall hitch

black tree fern, black velvet, Black Volta, black vomit, black vulture, Blackwall hitch, black walnut, Black Warrior River, blackwash, Black Watch, blackwater

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Blackwall hitch in a sentence

When Hitch is feeling good, when he is not in pain, he throws himself into the business of preproduction.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After everything is in order and the call has been placed, Hitch picks up the receiver and says “How do you do?”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1945 or 1946, Hitch and Alma were in New York with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, on a publicity tour.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We are talking about Redford one day, an actor Hitch admires.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Hitch picks up his cane, pushes her aside, and laboriously tries to get to his feet, saying, “I'll do it myself.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Accordingly, she had the boys to hitch a team to a buggy and took him driving over the great estate.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
He just got a good holt–a shore enough diamond hitch–on that thirst-parlour dawg, and chawed.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
Every pull in the shoulders, every hitch in the back, every kink in the sleeves makes me a profound materialist.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
The burial of 3,000 Turks by armistice at Anzac seems to have been carried out without a hitch.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The organist might leave his Swell-box shut or, by means of a catch on the pedal, hitch it full open.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for Blackwall hitch

Blackwall hitch

/ (ˈblækˌwɔːl) /

noun

a knot for hooking tackle to the end of a rope, holding fast when pulled but otherwise loose

Word Origin for Blackwall hitch

C19: named after Blackwall, former docks in London

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012