Eskimo bowline structure of the knot was not identified by Clifford Ashley (in 1944). All of the maneuvers to tie this knot are generally in the opposite (or 'anti' direction) relative to the bowline. Dan Lehman regards the general, bowline-like structure as an 'anti-bowline' in the sense of "anti-clockwise": in that with regard to the main nipping loop, the tail on returning from forming the eye is brought through this loop in the opposite direction relative to what is done for a bowline. When this knot is ring-loaded – and the knot effectively becomes an end-to-end knot – it is effectively a
Stopper knot or passing back through a hole, block, or belay/rappel device. It then functions like a leash handle. Knots commonly used for this purpose are: The Chinese button knot and the Celtic button knot are decorative stopper knots. When a stopper knot is tied outside another knot and around the standing part it can also be called a backup knot. Tying the end around the standing part helps prevent the knot from unraveling by not allowing the end to slide back into the knot: a kind of insurance against failure of the knot. Examples of this usage are often seen in