definitions
  • synonyms

end of one's rope, at the

Also, at the end of one's tether. At the limits of one's resources, abilities, endurance, or patience. For example, If that loan doesn't come through, we'll be at the end of our rope, or The workmen are driving me crazy; I'm at the end of my tether. This expression alludes to a tied-up animal that can graze only as far as the rope (or tether) permits. [Late 1600s]

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Nearby words

end leaf, end line, end man, end member, end mill, end of one's rope, at the, end of one's rope, at the, end of steel, end of the line, end organ, end piece
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.