[shoe.string] n (1616) 1: shoelace
2. [fr. shoestrings being a typical item sold by itinerant vendors]: a small sum of money: capital inadequate or barely adequate to the needs of a transaction "started the business on a ~"
[2]shoestring adj (1878) 1: narrow and long like a shoestring "a ~ tie"
2: operating on, accomplished by, or consisting of a small amount of money or capital "a ~ budget"