Rate this phrase:0.0 / 0 votes

On a Shoestring

On a limited budget, small budget, small amount of money

Etymology:

  • The origin of this idiom can’t be established as a certainty. The only thing known about the history of it is that it was first used in America in the 19th century. A “shoestring” is now commonly known as shoelace. The writer who first used this phrase might have thought of comparing the small amount of money with that of shoelace.
43 Views

They produced quality products on a shoestring.

Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'On a Shoestring':

on a shoestringOn a very tight budget; with few resources or little money.
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the On a Shoestring phrase in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to On a Shoestring

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this On a Shoestring phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this On a Shoestring definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "On a Shoestring." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 2 Dec. 2023. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/on-a-shoestring_44889>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    Eat your _________ out.
    • A. stomach
    • B. intestines
    • C. heart
    • D. ribs

    Browse Phrases.com