tie one's hands

tie one's hands
{v. phr.} To make (a person) unable to do anything. - Usually used in the passive. * /Since Mary would not tell her mother what was bothering her, her mother's hands were tied./ * /Charles wanted to help John get elected president of the class, but his promise to another boy tied his hands./ * /Father hoped Jim would not quit school, but his hands were tied; Jim was old enough to quit if he wanted to./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • tie one's hands — index handcuff Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • tie one's hands — {v. phr.} To make (a person) unable to do anything. Usually used in the passive. * /Since Mary would not tell her mother what was bothering her, her mother s hands were tied./ * /Charles wanted to help John get elected president of the class, but …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • tie\ one's\ hands — v. phr. To make (a person) unable to do anything. Usually used in the passive. Since Mary would not tell her mother what was bothering her, her mother s hands were tied. Charles wanted to help John get elected president of the class, but his… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • tie one's hands — phrasal : to make one unable to act or to proceed in an action her secrecy tied his hands …   Useful english dictionary

  • tie someone's hands — verb to render one powerless to act, to thwart someone This contract would have tied my hands …   Wiktionary

  • have\ one's\ hands\ tied — See: tie one s hands …   Словарь американских идиом

  • tie — [n1] fastening attachment, band, bandage, bond, brace, connection, cord, fastener, fetter, gag, hookup, joint, knot, ligament, ligature, link, network, nexus, outfit, rope, strap, string, tackle, tie in, tie up, yoke, zipper; concept 680 tie [n2] …   New thesaurus

  • tie up — tie [n1] fastening attachment, band, bandage, bond, brace, connection, cord, fastener, fetter, gag, hookup, joint, knot, ligament, ligature, link, network, nexus, outfit, rope, strap, string, tackle, tie in, tie up, yoke, zipper; concept 680 tie… …   New thesaurus

  • tie — [tī] vt. tied, tying or tieing [ME tien < OE tigan, tegan; akin to teag, a rope: for IE base see TOW1] 1. to fasten, attach, or bind together or to something else, as with string, cord, or rope made secure by knotting, etc. [to tie someone s… …   English World dictionary

  • tie — 1 /taI/ verb 1 STRING/ROPE a) (T) to fasten one thing to another with a piece of string, rope etc: tie sth to/behind/onto etc: Tie this label onto your suitcase. | tie sb to sth: They tied him to a lamp post and beat him up. | tie sb s hands/feet …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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