The hangman's knot or hangman's noose (also known as a collar uring Elizabethan times) is a well-known knot most often associated with its use in hanging. For a hanging, the knot of the rope is typically placed under or just behind the left ear. As the blow when the condemned drops to the end of the rope is supposed to break the neck (for modern "long-drop" hangings), this knot can add additional striking force against the head and neck. The knot is non-jamming but tends to resist attempts to loosen it. The knot works because the part of the rope passing straight through it is not entangled in the knot.