phrase. If you say that someone is tied to another person's apron strings, you mean that they are controlled or influenced too much by the other person.

What does the phrase tied to apron strings mean?

Wholly dependent on or controlled by a woman, especially one's mother or wife. For example, At 25, he was still too tied to her apron strings to get an apartment of his own.

Where did the saying cut the apron strings come from?

It means too attached to one's mother. And it has a literal origin. In the days before playpens and other devices, a mother would attach her child to her by her apron strings. The child could play nearby safely.