🗓️ Idiom: Hands are Tied (adjective)
💬 Meaning
- Unable to act or make changes because of rules, restrictions, or authority.
- Powerless to take action even if you want to.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The manager said his hands were tied by the company’s strict policy.
- She wanted to promote her team member, but her hands were tied by the budget limits.
- Our hands are tied until the board gives final approval.
🏛️ Origin
The expression “hands are tied” comes from the literal image of a person’s hands being bound so they cannot move or act. It has been used since the 1600s in English to describe situations where someone is restricted or powerless, especially in legal or organizational contexts.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
I would like to give you more time off, but my ________ are tied by company policy.
Answer
hands
2. Choose the correct meaning of “hands are tied”:
a) Someone is physically restrained
b) Someone cannot act because of rules or limits
c) Someone is too busy to help
Answer
b) Someone cannot act because of rules or limits
3. Change the sentence using “hands are tied”:
“The director cannot approve the project because the law does not allow it.”
Answer
The director cannot approve the project because his hands are tied.
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
