I can't help you. I was told not to, so I have my hands tied.
•John can't help. He has his hands tied by his boss.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
have one's hands tied — See: TIED ONE S HANDS … Dictionary of American idioms
have\ one's\ hands\ tied — See: tie one s hands … Словарь американских идиом
have one's hands tied — verb to be powerless to act, to be thwarted Im sorry, theres nothing I can do. My hands are tied … Wiktionary
have one's hands tied — informal be unable to act freely. → hand … English new terms dictionary
have one's hands tied — informal be unable to act freely … Useful english dictionary
To have one's hands full — Hand Hand (h[a^]nd), n. [AS. hand, hond; akin to D., G., & Sw. hand, OHG. hant, Dan. haand, Icel. h[ o]nd, Goth. handus, and perh. to Goth. hin[thorn]an to seize (in comp.). Cf. {Hunt}.] 1. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
In one's hands — Hand Hand (h[a^]nd), n. [AS. hand, hond; akin to D., G., & Sw. hand, OHG. hant, Dan. haand, Icel. h[ o]nd, Goth. handus, and perh. to Goth. hin[thorn]an to seize (in comp.). Cf. {Hunt}.] 1. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Off one's hands — Hand Hand (h[a^]nd), n. [AS. hand, hond; akin to D., G., & Sw. hand, OHG. hant, Dan. haand, Icel. h[ o]nd, Goth. handus, and perh. to Goth. hin[thorn]an to seize (in comp.). Cf. {Hunt}.] 1. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
On one's hands — Hand Hand (h[a^]nd), n. [AS. hand, hond; akin to D., G., & Sw. hand, OHG. hant, Dan. haand, Icel. h[ o]nd, Goth. handus, and perh. to Goth. hin[thorn]an to seize (in comp.). Cf. {Hunt}.] 1. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
To have one's handful — handful hand ful (h[a^]nd f[.u]l), n.; pl. {handfuls} (h[a^]nd f[.u]lz). [AS. handfull.] 1. As much as the hand will grasp or contain. Addison. [1913 Webster] 2. A hand s breadth; four inches. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Knap the tongs together about a … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
