not [to be] able to manage or control someone or something. (Also with cannot.)Bill is such a discipline problem. I can't do anything with him.My hair is such a mess. I just can't do anything with it.
Unable to cope with or manage someone or something. For example, I can't do anything with my hair, or My teenage daughter is very difficult-I can't do anything with her. This expression uses do in the sense of "deal with," a usage dating from the early 1500s.