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leading strings

American  
[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

plural noun

  1. strings for leading and supporting a child learning to walk.

  2. excessively restraining guidance.

    His parents tried to keep him in leading strings, but he finally married and moved away.

Etymology

Origin of leading strings

First recorded in 1670–80

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.