1. cut the cord - Verb
2. cut the cord - Phrase
cut the cord (third-person singular simple present cuts the cord, present participle cutting the cord, simple past and past participle cut the cord)
(idiomatic) To end a child's over-dependence on or over-attachment to their parents.
Synonym: cut the umbilical cord
My obstetrician was so dumb that when I gave birth he forgot to cut the cord. For a year that kid followed me everywhere. It was like having a dog on a leash. Joan Rivers