Jacob's ladder

Meanings

1. A ladder leading to heaven.
2. A flowering plant of the genus Polemonium.
3. A rope ladder from the ratline to the upper mast.
4. A toy consisting of blocks of wood, held together by strings or ribbons, that appear to cascade downward as they flip over.
5. A pocketknife consisting of two handle segments joined by a pivot, with a blade connected by a second pivot to the end of one handle segment.
6. A noncompact surface resembling a ladder made of handlebodies.
7. A high-voltage electrical device, often used as a visual effect in old movies, which has a pair of vertical electrodes that form an arc between them starting at the bottom, rising to the top, then repeating.
8. A serving of short ribs.
9. A ladder or run in a pair of tights.

1. Alternative letter-case form of Jacob's ladder.

Etymology

After the Biblical Jacob's Ladder.