tie one's hands

Prevent one from acting, as in I can't help you this time; my hands are tied by the club's rules. This metaphoric term transfers physical bondage to other kinds of constraint. It was first recorded in 1642.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Jadzia	YAH-jah	Polish
Zev	-	Hebrew
Janne (2)	-	Danish, Norwegian
Melor	-	Russian
Saraswati	-	Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Clytia	-	Greek Mythology (Latinized)