force (one's) hand

To push one to do something that one is not inclined to do otherwise. (The phrase alludes to a hand of playing cards.) Dave still hasn't decided where he wants to go to dinner, so I'm going to force his hand—I need to make reservations as soon as possible! I was hoping to play golf today, but the storm forced my hand, so I stayed home instead. The president is trying to force Congress's hand by threatening a veto.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Shay (1)	SHAY	Irish
Christen (2)	KRIS-tin	English
Alger	['ældʒə]
Asuman	-	Turkish
Ascott	['æskət]
Sila	-	Turkish