In 1917, A. Hyatt Verrill illustrated Burgess's clove hitch variation in Knots, Splices and Rope Work.

[5] Cyrus L. Day relates that, "she had never seen it in Finland, she wrote to me in 1954, but had learned about it from a Spaniard named Raphael Gaston, who called it 'whip knot', and told her it was used in the mountains of Spain by muleteers and herdsmen.

"[7] The Finnish name "ruoskasolmu" ("whip knot") was a translation from Esperanto, the language Ropponen used to correspond with Gaston.

If one or both of the ends are folded and led in the opposite direction before the last loop is folded over the objects end, the knot becomes slipped and therefore easier to untie: It also makes it possible to stretch either side rope tight by pulling at the slip loops.

[2] Adding more than one extra riding turn does not add to its security and makes the knot more difficult to tighten evenly.

Depending on the knotting material and how tightly it is cinched, the slipped form can still be very difficult to release.

It is unclear whether it is more secure than the double constrictor, and has the unhelpful aspect of being thicker at the bridge of the knot, with three rope diameters.

[3] To exert extreme tension on the knot without injuring the hands, one can fashion handles using marlinespike hitches made around two rods.

If the ends have been trimmed short, or the knot is otherwise hopelessly jammed, it can be easily released by cutting the riding turn with a sharp knife.

If care is taken not to cut too deeply, the underlying wraps will protect the bound object from being damaged by the knife.

If the constricted object (such as a temporarily whipped rope) ends very close to where a constrictor binds it, a boa knot may prove a more stable solution.