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What does “tighten the purse strings” mean?
Meaning, example sentence and a quick practice question.
C1
To start spending more cautiously
“The whole department had to tighten the purse strings after the budget cut.”
Say it smoothly: “tigh-tnthe-purse-strings”
From the C1 lesson Money Talks (money and spending).
Quick check
What does “tighten the purse strings” mean?
Teaching this phrase?“tighten the purse strings” is part of a ready-to-teach lesson, with a reading, three exercises, speaking tasks and an answer key, in Everyday English Chunks C1 Pack 3 (Money, Food, Work and Travel).
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See the C1 lesson pack
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Related phrases
- live beyond your meansto regularly spend more money than you earn
- be in the redto owe more than you have; to be overdrawn or in debt
- in the blackto have a positive balance; financially solvent
- a false economya saving that ends up costing more in the long run
- feel the pinchto notice the effects of financial hardship
- a nest egga sum of money saved for the future
- keep your head above waterto just about manage financially, without going under
- penny-pinchingexcessively, often pettily, careful with small sums
- money is no objectused to say cost doesn't matter in a decision