Many believe the work should be financed by the 'public purse'. [=should be paid for by the government]
Companies are expected to 'loosen the purse strings' as the economy improves.
School administrators are already 'tightening (the) purse strings'.
(..) you've invented window art. This is a group playing touch football. This is a cluster of pigeons fighting over breadcrumbs. And this is a woman who is chasing a man who stole her purse. John, you watched a mugging. That's weird. In competitive behavior, someone always loses. (..)2001 A Beautiful Mind