pin someone on the ropes—(Boxing ) force an opponent back on to the ropes:
- Referee Brimmell stepped in to save Scot after the challenger had pinned him on the ropes for fully a minute.
put someone up to the ropes—make a person understand the way to do smth.:
- Our pilot allowed me to spend part of the time with him on the bridge and put me up to the ropes.
Cf.: know the ropes—be familiar with a particular kind of work:
- You won’t have to train the new computer operator; she already knows the ropes.