1. (n.) A cord or ribbon bestowed or borne as a badge of honor; a broad ribbon, usually worn after the manner of a baldric, constituting a mark of a very high grade in an honorary order. Cf. Grand cordon.

2. (n.) The cord worn by a Franciscan friar.

3. (n.) The coping of the scarp wall, which projects beyond the face of the wall a few inches.

4. (n.) A line or series of sentinels, or of military posts, inclosing or guarding any place or thing.

5. (n.) A rich and ornamental lace or string, used to secure a mantle in some costumes of state.

advance guard armed guard bank guard beleaguer beset besiege block blockade blue ribbon bolt bottleneck bound box in cage catch chamber close in coast guard compass contain coop coop in coop up cordon bleu cordon off cordon sanitaire cordoning off corral cull out curtain decoration decoration of honor determent deterrent difficulty divide drawback encircle enclose encompass enshrine fence in garrison garter ghettoize gin goalie goalkeeper goaltender gold star grand cordon guard guarder guardsman hang-up hazard hedge in hem in hitch house in hurdle impound imprison incarcerate include inlying picket insulate isolate isolation jail jailer joker keep apart keep aside kennel lay aside leaguer mew mew up objection obstacle obstruction obstructive one small difficulty order ornament outguard outpost pen pen in pick out picket pocket put aside quarantine quarantine flag rail in rear guard red ribbon riband ribbon riddle rope off rub sanitary cordon screen seal off seclude seclusion security guard segregate segregation separate separation set apart set aside shrine shut in shut up sieve sift snag sort out stable star stumbling block stumbling stone surround thrash thresh train guard van vanguard wall in warder winnow wrap yard yard up yellow flag yellow jack