What does it mean? 

Knute på tråden means a ‘knot on the rope’. The expression is an idiom which describes a problem between two people. 

It’s used to say that two people share a strained relationship or aren’t on speaking terms rather than referring to a specific issue. 

For example, you’d use it to notice that two people aren’t getting on rather than to specify exactly what is happening between the pair. 

The term isn’t just used for romantic relationships but also between family members and friends too. 

If you are at a function and know two people not speaking or trying to avoid one another, then you would be able to describe them as having a not between them. 

This isn’t the only term involving knots in Norway. There is also hogge knuten over, which means to deal with an issue in an efficient or ruthless (sometimes reckless manner). It means to cut the knot off, eliminating it entirely. 

A similar saying in English may be “to pull the bandaid right off”. 

Use it like this:

Linde nekter å reise hjem til jul, det er en knute i tråden mellom henne og hennes lillesøster

(Linde refuses to travel home for Christmas. There is a knot in the thread between her and her little sister.)

 La du merke til at det er en knute i tråden mellom Jonas og faren hans?

(Did you notice that there is a knot in the thread between Jonas and his father?).