half hitch

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noun

a knot or hitch made by forming a bight and passing the end of the rope around the standing part and through the bight.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of half hitch

First recorded in 1760–70

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

How to use half hitch in a sentence

To shorten a guy rope on tent or marquee, gather the rope in the form of two long loops and pass a half-hitch over each loop.
How Girls Can Help Their Country|Juliette Low
Hiram noted that the Cap'n's trembling hands were taking a half-hitch with a rope's end about a tiller-spoke.
The Skipper and the Skipped|Holman Day
I knew the words half-hitch had something to do with a lasso, and I was rather taken back by the hotel proprietor's remark.
The Young Forester|Zane Grey
Britt, turning, yelled to the officer at the top of the slope, “Give that snub-line a half-hitch and hold that load!”
King Spruce, A Novel|Holman Day

Wind ribbing spirally around the body and tie off with two turns and a half hitch of tying silk as Fig. 9.
How to Tie Flies|E. C. Gregg

British Dictionary definitions for half hitch

half-hitch

noun

a knot made by passing the end of a piece of rope around itself and through the loop thus made

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