devil's rope

noun4

1. •
   (US, slang) Barbed wire

   • The devil's rope was originally designed to keep cows from roaming, Indians from encroaching, and the cowboys from singing their lonesome ballads. — 2011
2. •
   An open branching shrub (Cylindropuntia imbricata) with cylindrical joints, which are covered with short raised ridges like the plait of a rope.
3. •
   Mortal sin.

   • ...those who are dragged to the gallows of hell by the devil's rope, that is, mortal sin, and will not confess. — 2008
4. •
   A variety of cochineal, (Dactylopius newsteadi), used to destroy Cylindropuntia imbricata.