The hangman's knot or hangman's noose is a well-known knot most often associated with its use in hanging. The knot is non-jamming.

For safety reasons, this knot should never be placed around another person's neck, and such use of the knot may even be illegal.

Canonical Name: Hangman's knot.
Variant Name(s): Hangman's noose, Jack Ketch's knot
Category: noose
Origin: Ancient.
Related knots: Noose, running bowline, tarbuck knot.
Releasing: Non-jamming, just pull on the standing end.
Efficiency: Unknown%.
Caveat: None.
Uses: Hanging
Tying: To tie the hangman's knot, begin with a bight, leaving a long stretch of rope at the working end. This is the noose. On the working end, for another bight by folding the rope back (the length you wish your noose to be) to where the original and larger bight starts. You should have three parallel lines. Then start looping the working end around the three ropes several times, beginning at the first bight, and ending near the bend created earlier. To finish the knot, thread the working end through the second bight formed at the top of your loops and tighten.

Contents

1 History 2 Use 3 Number of loops 4 Legality and connotations 5 Use in language 6 External links

History

Use

The hangman's noose may be used in any situation where a loop is required that is relatively easy to pull shut, and much harder to pull open.

Naturally the most famous use of the knot is to cause the death of humans by hanging, for example a common name for the knot refers to Jack Ketch, and it may be referred to as a "hangman's" noose even when not being used for that purpose.

In Self-bondage, the noose is a convenient way of trapping arms and legs such that it can be pulled tight by pulling on the standing end, and released only with much more difficulty. Note that the knot is never placed around the neck in such situations. As with any selfbondage, this can be dangerous even to those who know what they're doing.

The noose may be used in other situations where a one-way action is required. For example, the loop may be used to join several objects which can be pulled closer together by tightening the loop. The friction of the hangman's knot allows it to hold that loop to a given size fairly easily.

One variant of the knot is when the loop is completely closed, and the knot becomes a weight on the end of the rope which may be used for throwing ropes. It is normal to use such a knot rather than artificial weight, when people will be standing to receive the thrown rope.

Number of loops

Each additional loop adds friction to the knot, which makes the loop harder to pull closed or open. The number of loops can be adjusted to make the knot perform differently, for different types of rope, different thicknesses, or to compensate for environmental conditions such as wet or greasy rope. 6-8 loops are normal when tying this knot in natural ropes, and more may be used on nylon ropes.

3 loops produces a much weaker version of the knot which slips easily. 1 loop makes it equivalent to the simple slip knot

There is some talk of a "13 loop" tradition, however that produces a very elongated knot which may be unstable as the knot itself starts to bend

Legality and connotations

In many societies, the very form of this knot is considered offensive or threatening. For example, in the United States of America it is synonymous with the lynching of black Americans, and this interpretation has spread to many other countries.

Afloat, the knot is typically a symbol of the hanging of pirates, and was historically displayed as a threat to potential pirates. The reverse is also true of course, and a pirate ship might well display such a symbol to intimidate victims.

In the Royal Navy and certain other navies, the tying of this knot may be illegal of itself, regardless of any intent to use the knot.

The hangman's knot itself may be interpreted as a weapon in some areas, or it may be assumed [incorrectly or not] that someone tying it is intending to use it for hanging a person by the neck. Care should be taken when tying or handling the knot as to the sensibilities of those around.

Use in language

The phrase "tightening the noose" refers to the use of this knot, and is often used to describe encircling military manoevures, either historical ones, or as recently as the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

As with many military phrases, "tightening the noose" is also used by law-enforcement, to describe either a physical attempt at surrounding a criminal, or the ongoing success of an investigation generally.

External links

• http://www.geocities.com/roo_two/hangmansnoose.html