somebody's hands are tiedif someone’s hands are tied, they cannot help in a particular situation because of rules, laws etc 某人受到约束〔因而无能为力〕 The bank claims its hands are tied by federal regulators. 银行声称受到联邦监管机构的约束。
somebody’s hands are tied• I'd like to help you, but you missed the deadline. I'm afraid my hands are tied.• The company's hands are tied because of government regulations.• We'd really like to help you, but I'm afraid our hands are tied.• Bankers argue that their hands are tied by the Fed.
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