enough rope, give someone

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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).

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby enough rope, give someone

e-nose, enosis, enostosis, enough, enough is enough, enough rope, give someone, enough said, enough to sink a ship, enounce, Enovid, enow

How to use enough rope, give someone in a sentence

But give the Kingdom credit for its sense of mercy: The lashes will be administered only 50 at a time.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And yes, someone has already called Spencer a “Small Fry,” har har.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Grindr currently has twelve ‘tribes,’ and for some people this just is not enough.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The atmosphere on campuses has gotten repressive enough that comedian Chris Rock no longer plays colleges.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

With chemotherapy, her doctors give her at least an 80 percent chance of survival.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And although we gabbled freely enough, MacRae avoided all mention of the persons of whom I most wished to hear.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Bacteria, when present in great numbers, give a uniform cloud which cannot be removed by ordinary filtration.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour, and make a fat offering, and then give place to the physician.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The sailors sometimes use it to fry their meat, for want of butter, and find it agreeable enough.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford