clothesline

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkləʊðzlaɪn/ / /ˈkloʊðzlaɪn/

Etymology: From clothes + line.

A rope or cord tied up outdoors to hang clothes on so they can dry.
“Hang this towel out on the clothesline for me.”
A structure with multiple cords for the same purpose, such as a Hills hoist.
The act of knocking a person over by striking his or her upper body or neck with one's arm, as if he or she had run into a low clothesline.

Etymology: From clothes + line.

To knock (a person) over by striking them across the neck or upper body with an outstretched arm, mimicking the motion of running into a low clothesline.
“The referee called a personal foul, when he clotheslined the running back.”
“One beast jams out its arm, as if to clothesline me, jagged claws poised to take my head off at the neck. I let my feet fall from under me, throwing my legs forward, praying for some momentum, ducking and sliding, a mad limbo to freedom.”