🗓️ Idiom: No Strings Attached (adj)
💬 Meaning
- Something given or offered freely.
- No hidden conditions, restrictions, or obligations.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The company offered free training with no strings attached.
- She accepted the gift, knowing there were no strings attached.
- The investor agreed to fund the project with no strings attached.
🏛️ Origin
The idiom comes from the 15th–16th century practice of selling cloth. When a piece of cloth was sold with strings attached, the strings marked small defects or conditions in the fabric. Cloth without any strings attached meant it was free of faults or conditions. Over time, the phrase grew into meaning something given without conditions or hidden demands.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The manager said the bonus was a gift with __________.
Answer
no strings attached
2. Multiple choice:
Which situation shows “no strings attached”?
a) A free trial that requires your credit card details.
b) A gift card with an expiry date.
c) A company giving staff a free lunch with no conditions.
Answer
c) A company giving staff a free lunch with no conditions.
3. Change the sentence using “no strings attached”:
“The donor gave money but expected nothing in return.”
Answer
The donor gave money with no strings attached.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
