"thief knot" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Supposedly used as a theft-detection system; thieves would retie bags with a more common reef knot, revealing the theft.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "thief knots",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "thief knot (plural thief knots)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1993, Funk & Wagnalls Corporation, Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, volume 15, page 282:",
          "text": "Another variant on this simple knot is the fool's knot or thief knot, which is similar to the square knot except that the loose ends emerge diagonally from opposite corners of the knot.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A knot for tying together two ends of rope; similar to a reef knot, but with the tails (short ends) on opposite sides; weaker than a reef knot."
      ],
      "id": "en-thief_knot-en-noun-qaedqvrO",
      "links": [
        [
          "knot",
          "knot"
        ],
        [
          "end",
          "end"
        ],
        [
          "reef knot",
          "reef knot"
        ],
        [
          "tail",
          "tail"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "thief knot"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Supposedly used as a theft-detection system; thieves would retie bags with a more common reef knot, revealing the theft.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "thief knots",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "thief knot (plural thief knots)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1993, Funk & Wagnalls Corporation, Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, volume 15, page 282:",
          "text": "Another variant on this simple knot is the fool's knot or thief knot, which is similar to the square knot except that the loose ends emerge diagonally from opposite corners of the knot.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A knot for tying together two ends of rope; similar to a reef knot, but with the tails (short ends) on opposite sides; weaker than a reef knot."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "knot",
          "knot"
        ],
        [
          "end",
          "end"
        ],
        [
          "reef knot",
          "reef knot"
        ],
        [
          "tail",
          "tail"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "thief knot"
}