D defs.my
Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913

Apron string

/āp'-rən strĭng/ · A·pron string · IPA
01 The string of an apron.
  1. 1.
    The string of an apron.
    “He was so made that he could not submit to be tied to the apron strings even of the best of wives.” Macaulay.
Phrases & compounds
To be tied to a wife's apron strings — to be unduly controlled by a wife or mother.