definitions

enough rope, give someone

Allow someone to continue on a course and then suffer its consequences. For example, The auditor knew something was wrong but decided to give the chief accountant enough rope. This expression, a shortening of enough rope to hang oneself, was already proverbial in John Ray's English Proverbs (1678).

RELATED CONTENT

When “Mixed” Isn’t EnoughRead how Professor Nicole Holliday explains why some individuals and groups that identify as two or more races are sensing a lexical gap for terms they would like for their own their specific racial combination.
READ MORE
Buzzwords Tasty Enough To EatWhat are some buzzwords used by food marketers to get you to buy and eat their products? (And, come back for seconds.) And, should you fall for the hype?
READ MORE

Nearby words

enos, enosis, enostosis, enough, enough is enough, enough rope, give someone, enough said, enough to sink a ship, enounce, enovid, enow
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.