close as the bark to the tree See FRIENDSHIP.

hang on [someone’s] sleeve To be completely dependent on someone for support or assistance; to rely on someone else’s judgment. The allusion is perhaps to children hanging onto their mother’s sleeve. This expression, now obsolete, dates from at least 1548. It appears in Samuel Hieron’s Works (1607):

hooked Addicted; entangled in a difficult situation; under someone else’s power or influence; devoted to or obsessed by a person, occupation, or other matter. This expression refers to the plight of a fish that has been captured, or hooked, by a fisherman, a fate which usually leads to the animal’s destruction. Hooked or the related on the hook often describes a person who is addicted to or dependent on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or some other potentially harmful habit; but it is used equally often in reference to one’s consuming hobby or interest.

See also get someone off the hook, RESCUE.

meal ticket One’s main source of income; a person, skill, or talent upon which one depends for his livelihood. This familiar expression originally referred to a prize fighter who was virtually the breadwinner for his agent and manager. Today, the phrase is usually used in reference to a working spouse.

on a string Dependent, easily manipulated, psychologically or financially tied to another person; unable to stand on one’s own two feet. This expression dates from the 1500s although it is antedated by use of the single word string referring to a leash or other inhibiting tie or connection.

Currently on a string is often heard in the context of relationships where one person is subject to the whims of another.

on [someone’s] coattails Dependent upon or as a consequence of another’s effort. The image is of a swallow-tailed coat, whose tapered ends naturally follow its body as sort of secondary appendages. The term is usually derogatory, implying a lack of ability to fare for one-self or to gain an undeserved benefit. Its most frequent use, as well as its origin, is probably political: to ride in on someone’s coattails means to be carried into office because a popular candidate led the ticket. Abraham Lincoln used the term in 1848:

tied to [someone’s] apron strings Completely under someone’s thumb, totally dominated by or dependent on another person; usually used in reference to a husband or son’s relationship with his wife or mother, respectively. The allusion is probably to the way small children cling to their mother’s skirts for support and protection. Thomas Babington Macaulay used the expression in The History of England from the Accession of James II (1849):