To be tied to a wife's apron strings or To be tied to a mother's apron strings, to be unduly controlled by a wife or mother. "He was so made that he could not submit to be tied to the apron strings even of the best of wives."
... papa! I know, of course, George will have to do his duty. I don't suppose he's always going to be tied to my apron string." ... — A Final Reckoning - A Tale of Bush Life in Australia • G. A. Henty
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