In today’s video, we kick off the new year with the idiom “learn the ropes”! This idiom is widely used and means to learn how to do something, or to acquire special skills. 

An apropos phrase for a new beginning, I hope we will all have an opportunity to learn new ropes for opportunities in 2022. Here, I talk to Ben Immanuel about learning the ropes in the play we did together and about how continual learning is a good thing!

The etymology of this idiom is widely believed to have come from naval vocabulary where ships were rigged with ropes by shipmates who had to know how to tie them efficiently to hoist the sails. 

And, here are some sentences to help you:

“You can learn the ropes of any skill as long as you have the patience to practice.”

“Often we spend most of our time just learning the ropes!”