When Presidential race and caucuses are close, the candidates seem to be busy in “working a lope line” as in the following examples:.
Wolf needs to work on his rope line speed. – www.pennlive.com/…/gov – Jnuary 20. 2015
Caucus Click: Romney works the rope line. After his campaign event in Mobile, Ala., was canceled due to rain, Mitt Romney spoke to
supporters who waited outside along the rope line. – New York Times
March 12, 2012Ever see Bush work a "rope line"? Remember when we had a president who did? – Democratic Undergroundcom.
Though it’s imaginable, but what does “work a rope line” exactly mean?
Does it refer to candidates’ shake-hands, hugging, and speaking to supporters in line? Is “work a lope line” an idiom? Is it applicable to “rope line work” with fans of personalities such as actors / actresses and singers other than politicians?
Best Answer
It's rope line with an "r." It refers to a line of supporters at a politician's public event. The supporters are kept behind a rope stretched between stanchions. The politicians walks down the line shaking hands, and chatting with people. This is called "working the rope line," akin to the terms "working a crowd" or "working a room," meaning to meet and greet groups of people successfully. Here are some tips if you ever have to do it. Here is a video of of candidate Mitt Romney working a rope line in Sanford, Florida the day before he became private citizen Mitt Romney. At about :40 in you can see the rope.