Meaning of ratline | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The rope or similar material used to make cross-ropes on a ship.
   uncountable
2. Any of the cross ropes between the shrouds, which form a net-like ropework, allowing sailors to climb up towards the top of the mast.
3. A system of escape routes for Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe in the aftermath of World War II.
   historical, in-plural, often

Equivalents

Examples

“[H]e laid hold⟳ of the first ratline with his right hand, then sprung to the second, with his left, and so on alternately, right and left, up to the last⟳, close⟳ to the futtock shrouds.”

“That meant it was not possible to use⟳ ratlines — that is, to make⟳ rope ladders out of the shrouds by adding small connecting pieces of ropes.”

“Marc Masurovsky, of the European Shoah Legacy Institute, has a remarkable knowledge of the Nazi ratlines and Allied intelligence.”

CEFR level