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.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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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 …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • 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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