I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: shoe (I) + string
1. : shoelace
2.
[so called 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
many eminently successful men started business on a shoestring — J.R.Sprague
3.
a. : trumpet creeper
b. : the long slender tough root of a leadplant ( Amorpha canescens )
4. also shoestring disease : a plant disease that is characterized by slender growth of leaves ; especially : a disease of tomatoes caused by the cucumber mosaic virus
5. : shoestring fungus
II. adjective
1. : narrow and elongated as a shoestring
shoestring tie
2.
a. : operating on, accomplished with, or consisting of little or no capital or backing
efforts of a shoestring producer to raise money for a theatrical venture — Henry Hewes
shoestring financing — H.E.Hoagland
b. : small in conception, operation, or scope : minor , petty
in amphibious warfare … the first landings are of a shoestring character compared with the power the enemy might assemble — W.V.Pratt