have keep somebody on a string イディオム
hold the purse strings
control how much is spent, decide when to spend He does the talking, but she holds the purse strings.
on a shoestring
on a very low budget, with little money to spend We went to China and Japan on a shoestring and enjoyed it very much.
on a string
controlled by a person, wrapped around his finger He's got you on a string, Bonny. Are you thinking for yourself?
play on my heart strings
cause me to feel emotional, make me feel sentimental The movie Hey Jude will play on your heart strings - make you cry.
pull a few strings
help by talking to powerful people, it's not what you know... My application was late, but a friend of mine pulled a few strings and got me an interview.
pull strings
secretly use influence and power He was able to pull some strings and get his son a job for the summer.
string a line
create a story, make up a story He was stringing you a line. A dog wasn't driving the car.
string along
pretend that you believe, go along with When Franz talks about shark fishing, I just string along.
string bean
thin person, bean pole You string bean, Kenny! You're too skinny to hit the ball!
string of good luck
a series of lucky events, lucky streak He isn't the best pitcher. He's just having a string of good luck this season.
