loosen the purse strings

English

Alternative forms

• loosen the pursestrings
• loosen the purse-strings

Pronunciation

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Verb

loosen the purse strings (third-person singular simple present loosens the purse strings, present participle loosening the purse strings, simple past and past participle loosened the purse strings)

1. (idiomatic, colloquial) To increase spending or allow increased spending; to relax control of spending.
   • 1848, Parliament of Great Britain, “The Parliamentary debates”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 96, page cdlvii:

     He thought the effect of this language from the Prime Minister had been to loosen the purse-strings of the Treasury.

   • 2004, The 9/11 Commission report, final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (authorized edition), National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, page 358:

     Proponents of the counterterrorism agenda might respond by being less inclined to loosen the purse strings than they would have been if offered a convincing...

Antonyms

• tighten the purse strings

Translations

to increase or allow to increase spending

• Finnish: hellittää kukkaron nyörejä
• Italian: allentare i cordoni della borsa

See also

• hold the purse strings
• loosen the apron strings