cut the cord
Ditch subscription television
Cut the cord means to end dependence on something that has sustained you.
The original image is the umbilical cord—severing the physical connection between mother and newborn.
By extension, it describes becoming independent from parents, institutions, or habits: It's time to cut the cord and move out.
More recently, it refers specifically to canceling cable television in favor of streaming services: We cut the cord last year and don't miss it.
- cable TVWired broadcast subscription service
- cableHeavy-duty woven line
- motherFemale parent
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- independenceFreedom from external control
streaming · streaming services · severance · wire · self-reliance · on your own · going solo · breakaway · break free · birth canal · disconnect · release · subscription · freedom · disengagement · digital platforms · detach · estrangement
- adolescencepuberty, teenager, coming-of-age, growing up, teen
- independencefreedom, liberty, Independence Day, autonomy, sovereignty
- maturityadulthood, immature, come of age, ripe, unripe
- dirty tacticsdirty trick, dirty tricks, dirty pool, foul play, cheap shot