Idiom
No strings attached
If something comes with no strings attached, it has no hidden conditions, costs or duties; you get it without owing anything back.
How people use it
People often say an offer, gift, loan or deal comes "with no strings attached": "The grant has no strings attached, so we can spend it however we need." The opposite is "there are strings attached," meaning there is a catch. It is common in business, money talk and relationships, and the tone is neutral to casual. Because offers that look free often hide a catch, people sometimes ask, "What are the strings?" before saying yes. Before a noun it takes hyphens: a no-strings-attached offer.
Also said: with no strings attached, no strings.
Examples
- The company gave every employee a holiday bonus with no strings attached.
- My aunt offered to lend me her car for the summer, no strings attached.
- Be careful: free trials rarely come with no strings attached.
Where it comes from
In American English, "strings" came to mean hidden conditions or limits by about 1900, and "no strings attached" became common during the 1900s. The exact image is not certain. One likely picture is a puppet worked by strings; another is the old prank of tying a string to a wallet left on the sidewalk and yanking it away when someone reaches for it. Either way, a string lets someone else keep control.
Check yourself
1. A gym offers a free month with no strings attached. What does that mean?
Answer: You don't have to sign up or pay anything later. No strings attached means there is no catch or hidden obligation tied to the offer.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The scholarship came with no strings attached, so Sam could study any subject.. The idiom describes an offer without conditions, not objects and real strings.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in STRINGS.