English / idiom
My Hands Are Tied
MEANING IN ENGLISH
Prevented from acting freely or helping due to strict rules, regulations, or lack of authority.
In context
01
I genuinely want to grant you a fee waiver, but without senior management approval, my hands are tied.
02
During that extended wait, the branch manager explained that his hands were tied by ministerial directives.
Synonyms
powerless,constrained,restricted
Antonyms
free to act,at liberty,empowered
Collocations
sorry my hands are tied,strictly hands are tied,official hands are tied