hold the purse strings

hold the purse strings

To dictate the spending of a given group, such as a family, company, country, etc. After my dad's gambling problem came to light, my mother started holding the purse strings. The finance department holds the purse strings around here.
See also: hold, purse, string
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

hold the purse strings

COMMON If you hold the purse strings, you control the way that money is spent in a particular family, organization, or country. Six out of ten women think that financial institutions treat them like idiots, even though they usually hold the domestic purse strings. Note: People sometimes use control instead of hold. His department controls the purse strings, and he will make sure that other departments spend money to meet targets he has set. Note: This expression is often varied. For instance, you can talk about someone's hold on the purse strings or control of the purse strings. His manager was in sole control of the purse strings.
See also: hold, purse, string
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

hold the purse strings

have control of expenditure.
See also: hold, purse, string
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

control/hold the ˈpurse strings

(informal) be the person who controls the amount of money spent and the way in which it is spent: I’m the one who controls the purse strings in this office, and you must come to me if you want any more money.
See also: control, hold, purse, string
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
See also:
References in periodicals archive ?
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When rumors reach him that funding for the program is going to be cut and that the politicians who hold the purse strings have ties to his former workplace, the opportunity to retaliate is too promising to pass up.
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Economic policy may have a growing role in promoting sustainable food production, but those who hold the purse strings need to be persuaded on agroeco's profitability, observes Danielle Nierenberg, co-founder of FoodTank: The Food Think Tank (www.FoodTank.org).
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While companies face an element of pressure in terms of access to cash for investment, with banks continuing to hold the purse strings tightly, the north Sea continues to perform well, with only a little over half its resource having been exploited to date.
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Those who hold the purse strings at the station have decided the likes of Twitter and Facebook are adequate as forums for public debate, and have cited dwindling audience figures as a reason for axing the phone-in.
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Alan Holmes, project director for NEA2F, said: "Young and ambitious businesses will have the opportunity to put their business plans in front of the people who hold the purse strings."
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In many households they hold the purse strings and feel the pinch more acutely over childcare support and other benefit changes.
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I suppose I am also dreading having to hold the purse strings when we do get married.
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The Tory and LibDem government are telling us a lot about how all General Practitioners are to hold the purse strings for their patient's entire treatment in the NHS.
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