strung
Related to strung: in favor of, emphasises
highly-strung
Persistently anxious and easily startled or upset. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. I've never met anyone so highly-strung. She gasps every time the phone rings.
high-strung
Persistently anxious and easily startled or upset. Primarily heard in US. I've never met anyone so high-strung. She gasps every time the phone rings.
string along
1. To choose or be allowed to accompany or follow someone. I decided to string along and see if they found anything interesting. Do you mind if my little brother strings along with us? My parents want him to get out of the house for a while.
2. To participate or cooperate in an activity or scheme. I'm sorry, but I just can't string along with this. It's wrong. The accountant was sentenced to five years in prison for stringing along with the organized crime syndicate.
3. To act in accordance or agreement with someone else or their actions. If the cops show up at the house because the party's too loud, just string along with whatever I say. I don't know how you convinced the board to string along, but they've approved your proposal.
4. To cause someone to remain in a state of uncertainty or expectation, usually to achieve some end. I feel like they've been stringing us along so that we'll agree to the lower price just to have the deal finished. She's not stringing you along, Jim—she's just being your friend, but you're trying to pretend there's a chance she likes you romantically.
See also: string
string on
To cause someone to remain in a state of uncertainty or expectation, usually to achieve some end. A noun or pronoun can be used between "string" and "on." I've been trying to get my cable company to fix the problem with my account, but it feels like they're just stringing me on. You really shouldn't string girls on like that, Dan. You're going to end up breaking their hearts.
See also: on, string
string out
1. Literally, to stretch, unwind, or extend something, typically a string or cord of some kind. Be sure to string out the lights and check that each bulb is working before you hang them up on the side of the house. He strung out the power cable so that it would reach the back yard.
2. By extension, to prolong, delay, or make longer than usual or necessary. He kept stringing out the negotiations in an attempt to get more money out of the deal for himself. I hate the way they string the finales of these singing competition shows out to try to build suspense.
See also: out, string
string together
1. Literally, to connect a series of things together on or like a string. A noun or pronoun can be used between "string" and "together." Help me string these letters together for Sarah's "Happy Birthday" sign. The children strung together flowers into rudimentary wreaths.
2. To compose, assemble, or arrange something in a series, especially in a quick, sloppy, or haphazard manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "string" and "together." Just because you can string together a pretentious, academic-sounding words doesn't make you a scholar. Their presentation was just a bunch of random photos strung together.
3. To create something by assembling or arranging something in a series, especially in a quick, sloppy, or haphazard manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "string" and "together." They began to worry when their son turned six and could still barely string a sentence together. You can tell he just strung together the report from a bunch of different financial statements at the last minute.
See also: string, together
string up
1. To suspend someone or something aloft using a rope, string, cable, etc. In each usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "string" and "up." I'm playing an angel in our school play. They want to string me up from the rafters with a rope and have me come swooping into the scene. We used some fishing line to string up popcorn on the Christmas tree.
2. To fit strings onto a musical instrument. My dad taught me how to string up a guitar.
3. To piece something together coherently. I could still barely string up a single sentence in Japanese by the end of the class.
4. slang To kill someone by suspending them from a rope around the neck; to hang someone. The sheriff told us he'd string us all up if we ever showed our faces in town again. My great-great-grandfather was strung up for his involvement in the rebellion.
See also: string, up
strung out
1. Suffering from severe stress, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion. Sorry for shouting at you, I'm just a bit strung out lately. I haven't been getting much sleep since our baby was born. I could tell she was strung out from the heavy workload she'd taken on.
2. Suffering from the adverse effects of drug use or addiction, especially heroin. Even if you didn't see the track marks on his arm, you could tell he was strung out just by looking at his eyes. Jane's so strung out on pills that she can't even remember where she is.
See also: out, strung
strung up
1. Severely stressed, anxious, or emotional exhausted. Sorry for shouting at you, I'm just a bit strung up lately. I haven't been getting much sleep since our baby was born. I could tell she was really strung up from the heavy workload she'd taken on.
2. Experiencing the adverse effects of drug use or addiction, especially heroin. Even if you didn't see the track marks on his arm, you could tell he was strung up just by looking at his eyes. Jane's so strung up on pills that she can't even remember where she is.
See also: strung, up
strung-out shape
A state of severe mental exhaustion, especially due to stress, anxiety, drug withdrawal, lack of sleep, etc. We'd been awake for nearly 48 hours trying to get the generators working, so we were all in pretty strung-out shape. Look, I know you're in strung-out shape from dealing with all this legal stuff, but we need to sit down and talk through all our options.
See also: shape
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
string along
(with someone)1. to follow with someone. Do you mind if I string along with you? I don't mind if you string along.
2. to agree with someone's policies and actions. Okay. I will string along with you this time, but I don't know about the future. I would appreciate it if you would string along just this one time.
See also: string
string someone along
to maintain someone's attention or interest, probably insincerely. You are just stringing me along because you like to borrow my car. You are not a real friend. Rachel strung her along for the sake of old times.
See also: string
string someone up
to hang someone. The sheriff swore he would string Tex up whenever he caught him. He never strung up Tex.
See also: string, up
string something out
1. Lit. to unwind, stretch, or straighten something, such as wire, and extend it. The workers strung the wires out before installing them. They strung out the wires first.
2. Fig. to cause something to take more time than it ought to. Is there any good reason to string this meeting out any longer? Don't string out the meetings so long.
See also: out, string
string something together
to connect things, such as beads, together, as with string. I spent all afternoon stringing beads together. My pearls broke and I had to take them to a jeweler to have them strung together again.
See also: string, together
strung out
1. extended in time; overly long. Why was that lecture so strung out? She talked and talked. It was strung out because there was very little to be said.
2. Sl. doped or drugged. Bob acted very strangely—as if he were strung out or something. I've never seen Bob or any of his friends strung out.
See also: out, strung
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
string along
1. Go along with someone, accompany or follow, as in I decided to string along with them, just to see what might happen. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]
2. Agree, as in We knew that three committee members would string along with us for now. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]
3. string someone along. Keep someone waiting or in a state of uncertainty; also, fool or deceive someone. For example, We were stringing them along, hoping that we'd get a better offer, or She was in tears when she found out that he'd just been stringing her along. [Colloquial; c. 1900]
See also: string
string out
1. Stretch, extend; also, prolong. For example, The parade strung out for miles, or The meetings strung out over weeks instead of days. [First half of 1800s]
2. strung out. Addicted to, stupefied by, or debilitated by drug use, as in She was completely strung out when they found her. [Second half of 1900s]
See also: out, string
string together
Compose, assemble, as in There's more to devising an effective slogan than stringing together some words. This expression alludes to threading beads on a string. [First half of 1800s]
See also: string, together
string up
Hang; also, kill by hanging. For example, They strung up their Christmas lights in October, or The mob wanted to string him up on the nearest tree. [Early 1800s]
See also: string, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
string along
v.
1. To keep someone waiting or in a state of uncertainty: The company strung along the job candidate for two weeks before hiring someone else. After I proposed, my girlfriend strung me along for a month before rejecting me.
2. To fool, cheat, or deceive someone: I am worried that they have no intentions of buying the house at all, but are just stringing us along. The con artist strung along the tourists for an hour before they caught on.
3. To agree; go along: They strung along with the plan despite its obvious flaws.
See also: string
string out
v.
1. To make something longer than usual or necessary; prolong something: The prosecution strung out the trial hoping to get the time to gather more evidence. We've already said everything that needs to be said in this conversation, so why do you keep trying to string it out?
2. To spread out in a line. Used in the passive: From the plane, we could see small villages that were strung out along the coast.
3. Slang To become intoxicated, especially with an addictive opiate or stimulant. Used in the passive: He was so strung out that he couldn't talk. People started to suspect that the athlete was strung out on coke or booze, or both.
See also: out, string
string together
v.
1. To arrange something in a string or series: This sentence makes no sense—you've just strung a bunch of words together at random! They worked all night stringing the flowers together to make those garlands.
2. To produce something by arranging in a string or series: I was able to string together a flimsy excuse for my chronic lateness. How do you expect to be a successful lawyer when you can barely string an argument together?
See also: string, together
string up
v.
1. To hang something by a string: All of the neighbors on my street string up the flag in their front yards. The Christmas lights look great—how long did it take to string them up?
2. To equip something with a string: They strung up their fishing rods and headed to the lake to catch some trout. I just bought my first guitar, but I don't know how to string it up or tune it. The band couldn't start the set on time because the fiddle player needed a few minutes to string up.
3. To kill someone by hanging: Do you know what we do to traitors here?—We string them up! The accused murderer was strung up without a fair trial.
See also: string, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
strung out
1. and strung (up) mod. drug intoxicated and bewildered. (Drugs.) Marlon is really strung out lately. What’s he shooting now?
2. mod. badly addicted to heroin; dissipated by heroin. (Drugs.) Clare is strung out and can’t deny her problem any longer.
3. mod. depressed; nervous. I’m a little strung out—because of the accident, I guess.
4. mod. in love and disoriented. Sam is strung out over Mary.
See also: out, strung
strung (up)
verbSee strung out
See also: strung
strung-out shape
n. a tired and exhausted condition. They were sort of in strung-out shape, tired and ready for the sack.
See also: shape
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- highly
- highly-strung
- high-strung
- nervy
- shaken up
- linger on
- on (one's) heels
- on heels
- at/on somebody's heels
- stay after (one) about (something)