string attached
A condition, catch, limitation, caveat, restriction, or requirement
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“This offer sounds great, but is there a string attached?”
“The company offered me a free laptop, but there was a string attached: I had to sign a three-year contract.”
“While the benefactor promised to fund the entire research project, the scientists soon discovered a hidden string attached that compromised their academic independence.”
From no strings attached.
- 01
another string to one's bow
Another skill, ability or resource to be used in case of failure.
- 02
apron string
A symbol of the domestic ties binding a male to a female (as a husband to a wife or a son to a mother).
- 03
harp on one string
To dwell on a single subject with disagreeable or wearisome persistence.
- 04
harp on the same string
To repeatedly say the same thing.
- 05
hold the purse strings
To be in control of spending; to have financial power and responsibility.
- 06
loosen the apron strings
To allow greater freedom (to someone); to relax control of (someone).
- 07
loosen the purse strings
To increase spending or allow increased spending; to relax control of spending.
- 08
no strings attached
Without conditions or obligations; without a catch.
Last updated August 10, 2026