rip cord
Americannoun
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a cord on a parachute that, when pulled, opens the parachute for descent.
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a cord fastened in the bag of a passenger balloon or dirigible so that a sharp pull upon it will rip or open the bag and let the gas escape, causing the balloon to descend rapidly.
Etymology
Origin of rip cord
First recorded in 1905–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yanking the rip cord on a situation can be the best course of action.
From Slate ● Jan. 2, 2024
She reportedly pulled the rip cord on that relationship early in 2021 and traded her seven years in L.A. for a new home in New York, as well as a new boyfriend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2022
Jones could have pulled the rip cord, smashed the glass and called up Mako Vunipola.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2021
He had no formal parachute training, his daughter said, and pulled the rip cord on his parachute so hard he gave himself a black eye.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2019
He pulled the rip cord of Snowden’s parachute and covered his body with the white nylon sheets.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
