string (along) v.
1. in senses of persuasion [the image of dragging someone along on the end of a string].
(a) (also string on) to fool, to deceive someone, esp. over a drawn-out period of time; to tease; thus stringing n.
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 251: To banter or jest with a man by amusing him with false assurances or professions, is also termed stringing him, or getting him in tow. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Heart of London II i: A very soft move his coming here, considering how he’s been strung by our Nottingham merchant here. | |
| Modern Flash Dict. 32: String, to – to impose on a person’s belief by some joke or lie. | |
| Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835]. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Vocabulum. | |
| Criminal Life (NY) 19 Dec. n.p.: ‘Pretty Tib’ is trying to string a young man too good for her. | |
| Sl. Dict. | |
| Mirror of Life 3 Feb. 3/2: Some of the music hall artists have a high old time ‘stringing’ along brainless chaps who become infatuated with them. | |
| Artie (1963) 21: She was so square I could n’t string her no more, so I told her who I was. | |
| Regiment 27 June 203/3: ‘Why did you not obey the order?’ asked the Commanding Officer. ‘Well, sir,’ replied the recruit, ‘I thought the Sergeant was stringing me’ . | |
| Road 119: The hall-men drove him mad with their stringing. His fictitious wrongs preyed upon his mind, and at last he became a dangerous and homicidal lunatic. | |
| Sporting Times 27 June 1/5: You can’t string me with your Lemoine alchemy! | |
| ‘Our Theatrical Boarding House’ in L.A. Herald 26 Nov. 6/5: ‘An’ you stringin’ me into believin’ they [i.e. letters] must be meant for another guy named Banana?’. | |
| in World’s Greatest Ship (1972) I 176: A member of this ship’s company, has distinguished himself in the art of stringing the newspaper reporters, and it is believed that he should be awarded some sort of medal [...] It is suggested that there be engraved on the face of this medal, ‘Champion Bull Thrower’. | |
| Plastic Age 206: Jimmie Henley says it is n’t so bad for a sophomore, but I ’m afraid that he ’s just stringing me along, trying to encourage me. | |
| ‘Assistant Murderer’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 147: Maybe the lad was stringing me, maybe he wasn’t. | |
| ‘The Stew-Bum’ in Hobo’s Hornbook 137: Pal, I ain’t a-stringin’ you. | |
| Brain Guy (1937) 58: And you thought you were stringing me, didn’t you, Paddy? | |
| They Drive by Night 62: He looked the sort of bloke a girl could string along. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Died in the Wool (1963) 132: We strung him along quite nicely. | |
| Man with the Golden Arm 64: She would grasp his throat in exasperation after he’d strung her along awhile like that. | |
| Shiralee 96: All they could do was [...] string him a line of heifer dust as long as your arm. | |
| Beat Generation 85: ‘They’re the best,’ Georgia said, stringing her companion along. | |
| With Hooves of Brass 113: One of those dames who got a kick out of stringing a bloke on. | |
| Mama Black Widow 186: She could be lying [...] to string stray guys like me along. | |
| S.R.O. (1998) 473: He decided to string the strange addict along for a while. | |
| Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 187: I wasn’t sure what game she was playing but it did cross my mind that she might be stringing the old girl along. | |
| Never in My Lifetime in Best Radio Plays (1984) 80: Act nice, dance a bit, string them along, you know. | |
| Llama Parlour 189: Meanwhile you’re stringing me along and pretending you like me. | |
| Indep. on Sun. Mag. 21 Jan. 54: A record label had been stringing me along for six months and I thought this stuff was not going to work out for me. | |
| (con. 1973) Johnny Porno 287: It had been a mistake [...] but now she’d done it, she’d have to string John along. | |
| Hard Bounce [ebook] ‘He thought you were stringing them for more money’. |
(b) (Aus./N.Z./US) to encourage, to egg on.
| More Fables in Sl. (1960) 174: It was a Shame to String these Jay Amateurs. | |
| Road 119: I couldn’t keep the hall-men away from him, and they continued to string him worse than ever. | |
| ‘Fixed’ in Coll. Stories (1994 ) 244: She had a kind of look for a second. Maybe she’s stringing me. | |
| Foveaux 168: [He] had a refined and alleviating line of conversation with skirts. He could always string the feminine. | |
 | Earl Wilson’s New York 26: [A] knowledge of classical music would help you string her along. |
2. in senses of movement.
(a) (US) to progress, to walk along.
| Hot Corn 20: Just as good dress as them opera gals had on, that went stringing along down Broadway a while ago. |
(b) to accompany.
| implied in string (along) with | |
| ‘The Big Knockover’ Story Omnibus (1966) 285: The goose in the glad rags — tail him. I’ll string behind you. | |
| Big Smoke 38: She wants to string along. Not half an hour ago she come in here and says I got to take her away with me. |
In phrases
1. to accompany; to associate with.
| Maison De Shine 217: I’ll string with you. | |
| ‘The Last Chance’ in Old Man Curry 105: All I want is a chance to string with this fellow as long as he lasts. | |
| ‘$106,000 Blood Money’ Story Omnibus (1966) 324: You know what’ll happen if she learns you’re stringing along with me? | |
| ‘Facing the Mob’ in Gangland Stories Feb. 🌐 I’m sticking [...] I string with Smooth. | |
| They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? in Four Novels (1983) 23: I’ll string along with James and Ruby. | |
| I Can Get It For You Wholesale 5: As long as you string along with me, your cafeteria days are over. | |
| Small Time Crooks 50: Just a dumb kid stringing along with her smart guy boss. | |
| Epitaph for George Dillon Act III: You string along with me, George, I’ll see you’re all right. | |
| (con. 1930s) Lawd Today 197: ‘Yeah, but I’m looking for a steady daddy.’ ‘String along with me, Babe.’. | |
| Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 127: If eatin’ pussy is all I got to do, / shit, I guess I’ll string along with you. |
2. to agree with.
| Gangster Girl 94: String along with him. Ask him to let you in on what other marvelous deeds he’s going to put across. | |
| Jeeves in the Offing 63: I string along with that school of thought. |
3. to support.
| in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 79: I strung with the Bull Moose last election and stand like a guy with a broken leg now. | |
| Hopalong Cassidy and the Eagle’s Brood 38: ‘I vote for Cassidy.’ [...] ‘I’m stringin’ along with Dave an’ Wyatt.’. | |
| Runyon à la Carte 106: Many citizens are eager to string with her to hit. | |
| Scrambled Yeggs 34: Kelly’s stringing along with us on this; nothing breaks till we say go. Turnabout, he gets some of the inside from us. |
(Aus./N.Z.) to deceive; in a relationship, to lead someone on; to encourage with deceitful intent.
| Waitaruna 142: A barmaid in one of its hotels [...] is popularly known as ‘Goodall’s stringer’ [...] She makes herself agreeable to those who frequent the house, and so she ‘strings them on’ and induces them to spend their money there . | |
| Robbery under Arms (2006) 466: Mr. Hamilton waited for about an hour, so as to be sure they weren’t stringing him on to go into the open, to be potted at. | |
| ‘Remailed’ in Roderick (1972) 197: Perhaps she loved neither [suitor], and was only ‘stringing them on’. | |
| Truth (Sydney) 29 July 3/1: The British Government seems inclined to ‘string on’ the Australias and other dependencies to endorse the utterly irresponsible acts [etc.]. | |
| ‘“Buckolt’s Gate”’ in Roderick (1972) 444: You’re only stringing him on [...] You helped him to deceive me. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Oct. 15/2: ‘Nice girl your daughter is, goin’ ’n’ marryin’ Cooper after the way she strung me on!’ Then Justin understood. Poole had been courting Annie in his own quaint way, and no one had dreamt of it, least of all Annie. | |
| Sport (Adelaide) 10 Jan. 8/1: Why doesn’t Ivy P. stick to one boy instead of stringing on so many? | |
| (con. WWI) Gloss. Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: string-on. Deceive. |
1. to keep someone in suspense.
| Dopefiend (1991) 41: He wasn’t stringing Terry out for the sake of another customer. |
2. to deceive someone over a period of time.
| Pimp 139: Maybe I can string her out and get all that scratch she’s got. | |
| Because the Night 214: He had been strung out from before their first meeting. |