3. Learn the ropes - nautical expression describing rope knots new sailors must learn. More generally refers to learning new skill. Here ‘ropes’ also refers to bell ropes.
4. Ring a bell - to remind you of something without recalling the specific information.
His face rings a bell - do I know him from somewhere?
Q: Do you know what counterpoint is?
A: It rings a bell. Something to do with music, isn’t it
Q: Did you recognise the voice on the phone?
A: No, but it rang a bell. I’ve heard it somewhere before.
5. Saved by the bell - when a bad outcome is avoided because of time-based technicality e.g. Smith looked about to collapse but was saved by the bell.
Derives from the bell the end of every round of a boxing match. The first citation in the US was in an 1893 sports report meaning “saved from being counted out by the bell marking the end of the round.”
By 1912 it was widely used in a more general, figurative sense “to be rescued from a predicament at the last minute.
- 'Ringing Bells' - a comic story using these idioms (5 min free read with audio)
- Classic stories adapted for English language learners free to access here