The Pattern makes the finest lace look coarse woven sacking, or tangled string.

I was a puppet, dancing on tangled strings, meaninglessly.

At once the carefully constructed cradle collapsed; there was no longer any pattern, merely an ugly mass of tangled string hanging from his hands.

Stepping away from Parnell, Skye twisted her apron around and made short work of the tangled strings.

A big ball of tangled string.

High Command sailors jerked, danced, fell like marionettes with tangled and broken strings.

Though the pin looked a bit like someone trying to wrap a package with tangled string, the red-trunker made it seem awfully easy.

It returned to its previous position facing the three humans, holding itself stiffly and moving off balance, like a marionette with tangled strings.

His gestures were violent and jerky, like a puppet with tangled strings.

I could see him stroking the bird to calm it before he started to unpick the tangled string with one hand.