apron strings

American  

plural noun

1. the strings on an apron, used for securing it around one's person.

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idioms

1. tie to someone's apron strings, to make or be dependent on or dominated by someone.

   He has never married because he's tied to his mother's apron strings.

apron strings More Idioms  

1. see tied to someone's apron strings.

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Etymology

Origin of apron strings

First recorded in 1535–45

Example Sentences

Men who couldn’t, or worse, didn’t want to, were portrayed as marionettes tied to and practically strangled by their mothers’ apron strings.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2024

How do I manage my mother’s anxieties while disentangling myself from her apron strings?

From Slate • Dec. 2, 2019

Only in this frenzied ojyuken world could apron strings stir up such passion.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2018

It was this parent-child relationship, and I think people were just terrified of the apron strings being cut off.

From BBC • May 23, 2018

A large woman, barely done tying her apron strings, goes running to the cabin John and Ann Laydon share with two other families.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone