I. ˈshü-ˌstriŋ noun
Date: 1616
1. : shoelace
2.
[from 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 shoestring
II. adjective
Date: 1878
1. : narrow and long like a shoestring
shoestring french fries
2. : operating on, accomplished by, or consisting of a small amount of money or capital
a shoestring budget