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rogue's yarn

American

noun

a yarn of distinctive color, material, or twist, laid in a strand or strands of a rope to identify the owner or the maker.

Etymology

Origin of rogue's yarn

First recorded in 1760–70

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.