on a shoestring

on a shoestring

Fig. with a very small amount of money. We lived on a shoestring for years before I got a good-paying job. John traveled to Florida on a shoestring.

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on a shoestring  (informal)

if you do something on a shoestring, you do it using very little money The restaurant is run on a shoestring, so we can't afford to take on any more staff.

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on a shoestring

by using very little money The theater company operates on a shoestring.