Three Ends To A Rope
A LAD applied to the captain of a vessel for a berth; the captain,
wishing to intimidate him, handed him a piece of rope, and said, If you
want to make a good sailor, you must make three ends to the rope.--I
can do it, he readily replied; here is one, and here is another,--that
makes two. Now, here's the third, and he threw it overboard.