String along
Meaning
To deceive someone by giving them false hope or leading them on, often to delay an unpleasant truth or to exploit their expectations.
Origin
The phrase 'string along' emerged from the literal image of controlling something or someone with a string, much like a puppeteer manipulates a marionette or how a child might pull a toy. This visual metaphor of being led by an unseen force, where one is at the mercy of another's subtle tugs and directions, evolved to describe the act of deception. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it cemented its place in common parlance as a way to denote a protracted form of misleading, where false promises or prolonged indecision keep someone tethered to a situation or hope that will ultimately prove fruitless, subtly guided by another's hidden agenda.
Examples
- She felt like he was just stringing her along about the promotion, as he kept promising it would happen next quarter but never delivered.
- Don't let them string you along with vague promises; demand a clear answer about the project timeline.