Idioms for string

    on a/the string, Informal. subject to the whim of another; in one's power; dependent: After keeping me on a string for two months, they finally hired someone else.
    pull strings/wires,
    1. to use one's influence or authority, usually in secret, in order to bring about a desired result.
    2. to gain or attempt to gain one's objectives by means of influential friends, associates, etc.: He had his uncle pull strings to get him a promotion.

Origin of string

before 900; (noun) Middle English string, streng, Old English streng; cognate with Dutch streng, German Strang; akin to Latin stringere to bind; (v.) late Middle English stringen to string a bow, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM string

string·less, adjective string·like, adjective re·string, verb, re·strung, re·string·ing.

British Dictionary definitions for on a string

string
/ (strɪŋ) /

noun

verb strings, stringing or strung (strʌŋ)

Derived forms of string

stringlike, adjective

Word Origin for string

Old English streng; related to Old High German strang, Old Norse strengr; see strong

Idioms and Phrases with on a string (1 of 2)

on a string

Under someone's control, as in She'll drop everything whenever Sam asks for something—he's got her on a string. This expression, alluding to pulling an animal on a leash, dates from the late 1500s, when it was put as in a string.

Idioms and Phrases with on a string (2 of 2)

string