shoestring
shoestring Lexical Profile
shoestring Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Characterized by or operating with a very small amount of money; low-budget.
"The independent director managed to produce an award-winning documentary on a shoestring budget."
Cut into very thin, long strips, especially of potatoes.
"The bistro serves its grilled steak with a side of crispy shoestring fries."
• noun
North American A cord or leather strip passed through eyelets or hooks to fasten a shoe; a shoelace.
"He knelt down on the sidewalk to tie his loose shoestring before continuing his run."
A very small or inadequate amount of money used to finance an activity or venture (especially in the phrase 'on a shoestring').
"They traveled across Europe on a shoestring by staying in hostels and cooking their own meals."
Word Origin & Etymology
A late 16th-century compound of 'shoe' and 'string'. The figurative sense referring to a very small amount of money emerged in late 19th-century American slang, likely comparing a tiny bankroll to the trivial cost of a pair of shoelaces.