trail rope

American  

noun

1. a guide rope on an aerostat.

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trail rope British  

noun

1. another name for dragrope

2. a long rope formerly used for various military purposes, esp to allow a vehicle, horses, or men to pull a gun carriage

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Etymology

Origin of trail rope

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

My blind roommate and I hook arms and help each other find the trail rope that sporadically disappears in places, and we make it there and back, triumphant.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 1454

As the waves came even closer to his perch, Joseph dumped the last of his sand ballast and busied himself cutting up his trail rope to throw that out piece by piece.

From Time Magazine Archive

Everybody was either trying to dodge the grapnel or catch the trail rope.

From The War in the Air by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

On emerging, however, below the cloud, the first object that loomed out of the mist immediately below us was a cargo vessel, in the rigging of which our trail rope was entangling itself.

From The Dominion of the Air; the story of aerial navigation by Bacon, John Mackenzie

He leapt up on the seat, and, at imminent risk of falling headlong, released the grapnel-rope from the toggle that held it, sprang on to the trail rope and disengaged that also.

From The War in the Air by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)