to not be able to do anything about a situation
to be helpless
to not have any other options
to act as per the situation rather than choice
The manager tried his best to explain the situation after such a terrible mess created by the employee in the account. In the end, his hands were tied and he had to fire the staff members responsible for the mistake.
I feel like my hands are tied in this situation and I cannot help her out even though I want to.
You may know that my father’s hands were tied back then which is why he could not finance my college education.
The politician’s hands are tied by these goons knowing that they need the votes from their slums. That is why they have not been arrested yet.
The lawyer’s hands were tied when his client decided to plead guilty.
In business, sometimes your hands are tied and you have to lower your prices as per the competition.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.