apron strings

American  

plural noun

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of apron strings

First recorded in 1535–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

apron strings

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

If you’re trying to cut the apron strings, why work with your mother?

From Washington Post ● Aug. 31, 2017

And while many still refer to it fondly as the Liverpool Daily Post, the newspaper has long cut the apron strings that tethered it to the Merseyside parent.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2013

He staggered over to Travis and jerked hard on his apron strings, untying them.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner