English Vocabulary

  tighten the purse strings (to be stricter about spending money) The government will have to tighten the purse strings for another year. The economy is in a mess, and everyone tightened the purse strings. envocabulary.com

    loosen the purse strings (to be less strict about spending money) You shouldn’t expect me to loosen the purse strings on everything. If you want to live in luxury, you have to loosen the purse strings. envocabulary.com

  hold the purse strings (to be in charge of spending) It’s the general manager who holds purse strings in this company. Do you hold the purse strings in your family? I’m not the one who controls the purse strings around here. also, control the purse strings.   envocabulary.com

  difficult (not easy to do or understand): It was a very difficult job. The exam questions were a bit difficult. hard (difficult): That is a very hard task. tough (very difficult to do or deal with): It is very tough to quit smoking. challenging (difficult in a way that …

grip vs. gripe   grip  verb (to hold tightly) Grip the rope, and we’ll pull you up. Wide tires grip the road well. grip  noun (a tight hold) She was trying hard to free herself from his grip. Don’t loosen your grip on that rock or you’ll fall.   gripe  …