Word of the Day
24 July 2026
lock off
To turn in the warp thread or strands of a piece of cloth when finished to stop strands unravelling.
Why this one
The name is literal: the warp ends are turned back on themselves so tension has nowhere to go. Same instinct as a whipped rope end or a backstitch at the end of a seam, and the failure looks identical when it is skipped.
In use
Don't cut it off the loom till you've locked off that end, or you'll be chasing loose warp all the way up the piece.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.Sources
- Definition sourceWiktionary