The phrase "showed ropes" refers to the act of teaching or demonstrating how to do something. Some antonyms for this phrase include mislead, confuse, deceive, discourage, and hinder. Misleading someone involves giving incorrect or false instructions, while confusing someone means to make them unsure or uncertain about a task. Deceiving someone involves leading them astray intentionally, while discouraging them means to make them lose confidence. Finally, hindering someone means to obstruct or impede their progress. Antonyms for "showed ropes" are particularly useful when trying to explain what not to do, or when highlighting negative examples.