Top Pages
Home
A-Z Glossary
Punctuation
A-Z Confused Words
Common Mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists Tests and Games Awkward Plurals Sayings and Proverbs Twitter YouTube
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists Tests and Games Awkward Plurals Sayings and Proverbs Twitter YouTube
Tie the Knot (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Tie the Knot"?
The term "tie the knot" means to get married.
The first known example of a knot being used for marriage comes from a Middle English version of "The Legend of St. Katherine" (circa 1225), which features the following line:
- "Swa ye cnotte is icnut bituhhen unc tweien." ("Cnotte" is Middle English for knot. This translates as "As we are fastened and tied together, so the knot is knitted between us two.")
- "So to the priest their case they tell: He ties the knot." (Matthew Prior wrote "Alma" during his 2-year (1715-17) impeachment by Robert Walpole, who is regarded as the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. "Alma" was Prior's longest humorous poem, showing he maintained his cheerful philosophy while kept in close custody.)
- "He has tied a knot with his tongue [vows], that he cannot untie with his teeth: that is, he is married." (This features in Grose's work "The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.")
- When I do tie the knot, it will be one time, for good. (Actor Shemar Moore)
Previous and Next Sayings
Test Your Knowledge of English Proverbs and Idioms
Ready for the Test?
More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms
Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
Next lesson >