US military (specifically Air Force military transport) jargon ca. 1970s-1980s, referring to an operation or undertaking involving an unnecessarily large number of people, most of them contributing nothing or actually impeding progress. Typically used to refer to flightline operations where military brass felt it necessary to make their presence felt and impede the normal duties/operations of the aircrew, offering "advice" or "assistance" that was neither requested nor needed.

"We got gear up and flaps up out of Norton (Air Force Base) on time, no sweat, but Travis was a major goat-rope and a half. We had three times as many Base Ops types and ground-pounders in the cargo compartment as crewmembers, and the only reason they finally got the hell out of the way is that they didn't want to buy a crew delay."

Goat-rope by speedstan May 4, 2008

Related Words

Goat-rope • Goat Roper • Goat Roped • Alabama goat rope • Rope The Goat • goat • goat fucker • goat boy • goat rodeo • Goat Head

Goat Rope

When good intentions go bad, messily.

History: From LCDR Charles Breen, USN, who tried to untangle a goat's rope, only to be bitten by said goat, then to deck same goat, Mongo style, right as busload of tourists rounded the bend in time to think he was beating the crap out of a goat for no reason. This definition dates back to at least 1988.

Man, this is the last time I help you move, what a goat rope.

Goat Rope by KnumbKnuts May 19, 2005

goat rope

(This term is used by Marines. For links to Army terms with similar meanings see snafu)
a very chaotic situation

The situation in the auditorium turned into a real goat rope.

goat rope by The Return of Light Joker April 29, 2009

Goat Rope

goat rope--definition--A very confused situation

To teach new cowboys the art of roping a moving target, such as a horse or a steer, novices would be put in a pen full of goats, which were smaller and less dangerous, to hone their craft. The old-timers would gather to watch, drink, whoop and be amused by the ensuing melee. It was not a pretty sight.

I'm a writer with a book of the same name and I did extensive research to find the origins of this term.

Man, what a train wreck, what a goat rope!"

Goat Rope by Daniel Blore November 11, 2007

Goat Rope

As a farmer, tying up a goat leads to all kinds of problems. Goats will try to push the limits of the rope and somehow find a fence or rail to jump. They eventually tangle the rope and continue to try to jump obstacles until they literally hang themselves.

So it is any stupid action that leads one to get themselves or others into a no-win situation that could have been avoided.

Dad left the lid off the blender when making a "smoothie". Now we have to clean it off the walls before Mom gets home, what a goat rope.

Goat Rope by Talomir April 19, 2014

goat rope

A situation or activity that has become completely fucked up, or, an exercise in futility. The phrase comes from the image of a goat, tied down with a rope, humping the rope but not getting anywhere. Similar to goat fuck.

These directions are useless - trying to find this place is such a goat rope.

goat rope by johnny501 October 9, 2005

Word of the Day on October 9, 2008

Galantir

A group of people, typically women, searching through someone’s digital footprint in order to find more information about that person.

Susie wasn’t sure if her new Hinge match was a creep, so she assembled Galantir and they found out he used to post slurs on gaming forums.

Galantir by Ge-sus September 22, 2026

Word of the Day on September 23, 2026

murderhobo

In a tabletop game, a murderhobo is a player who murders NPCs indiscriminately. This is normally derogatory, referring to a player who totally ignores quests, dialog, backstory, trade, world building etc.

The term is most common with Dungeons and Dragons, but it can be applied to most RPGs where the player is allowed to kill most quest-giving NPCs and NPC traders. E.g. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Divinity original sin.

DM: The sad little orphan girl tugs at Steve's trenchcoat to get his attention, and ask for help saving her pet dog from...
Steve: I'd like to roll a strength check against strangling the orphan.
Dave: I call dibs on the dog.
DM: You murderhobos disgust me.

murderhobo by Loup&S September 9, 2021

Word of the Day on September 22, 2026

Whale

In sales terms, a whale is a prospect that is significantly larger than an organization’s average customer.

Whales are large and extremely difficult to close. Due to their immense size, they are highly sought-after.

A whale is typically identified at first by a whale hunter on the sales team, but often requires cross-discipline participation in order to close; this includes assistance from operations, engineering, creative, client success, and business development teams.

"Shit...the sales director chewed me out on the sales call this morning. He's totally pissed that I have nothing in my pipeline. I've been focused on this one whale for so long that I haven't had time to prospect for normal-sized deals."

Whale by FQ_GFY February 3, 2020

Word of the Day on September 21, 2026

Concrete cowboy

A guy who thinks he's a country kinda guy, but in reality lives a comfortable city / suburban life.

Eugene: Look at that dude in the cowboy hat!
Todd: He's just a concrete cowboy.

Concrete cowboy by EugeneJohnson42000 March 16, 2024

Word of the Day on September 20, 2026

hobo loko

any hard liquor that is cheap & potent.. eg. relska, popov, potters, evan williams, kamchatka, fireball, rumpleminze, southern comfort, everclear

hey let's get a drink of that?

go ahead
*takes drink* ugh wtf is that?

everclear & bepsi
fucking hobo loko eeessshh

hobo loko by d i z k o 2 0 8 September 14, 2026

Word of the Day on September 19, 2026