Alternative forms

• loosen the pursestrings
• loosen the purse-strings

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGS

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)Category:English lemmas#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGSCategory:English verbs#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGSCategory:English multiword terms#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGSCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGSCategory:Pages with entries#LOOSEN%20THE%20PURSE%20STRINGSCategory:Pages with 1 entry#LOOSEN%20THE%20PURSE%20STRINGS

1. (idiomaticCategory:English idioms#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGS, colloquialCategory:English colloquialisms#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGS) To increase spending or allow increased spending; to relax control of spending.

   Antonym: tighten the purse strings

   • 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.

     Category:English terms with quotations#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGS

   • 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...

     Category:English terms with quotations#LOOSENTHEPURSESTRINGS