Sandy tied herself up in knots trying to explain the rules of the game.
English Idioms & idiomatic expressions. 2014.
tie yourself up in knots — tie yourself (up) in knots 1 : to cause problems for yourself because you are being too careful, trying too hard, etc. The mayor tied himself in knots answering a touchy political question. [=he answered it in a confused or unclear way] 2 : to… … Useful english dictionary
tie (yourself) (up) in knots — 1. to become very confused or worried when you are trying to make a decision or solve a problem. They tied themselves in knots over the seating arrangements. (often + over) 2. to become very confused when you are trying to explain something. She… … New idioms dictionary
tie yourself (up) in knots — tie sb/yourself (up) in ˈknots idiom to become or make sb very confused • I got myself tied up in knots when I tried to explain the legal system to them. Main entry: ↑tieidiom … Useful english dictionary
tie yourself in knots — informal phrase to become very confused or worried because you are in a difficult situation I was tying myself in knots trying to explain what happened without getting him into trouble. Thesaurus: to worry or feel nervous about somethingsynonym… … Useful english dictionary
tie somebody (up) in knots — tie sb/yourself (up) in ˈknots idiom to become or make sb very confused • I got myself tied up in knots when I tried to explain the legal system to them. Main entry: ↑tieidiom … Useful english dictionary
tie yourself in knots — informal to become very confused or worried because you are in a difficult situation I was tying myself in knots trying to explain what happened without getting him into trouble … English dictionary
tie — tie1 W3S2 [taı] v past tense and past participle tied present participle tying ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(string/rope)¦ 2¦(game/competition)¦ 3 be tied to something 4 be tied to/by something 5 tie the knot 6 tie yourself (up) in knots 7 tie one on … Dictionary of contemporary English
tie — 1 /taI/ verb 1 STRING/ROPE a) (T) to fasten one thing to another with a piece of string, rope etc: tie sth to/behind/onto etc: Tie this label onto your suitcase. | tie sb to sth: They tied him to a lamp post and beat him up. | tie sb s hands/feet … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
tie — tie1 [ taı ] (present participle ty|ing) verb *** 1. ) transitive to fasten two ends of a piece of string, rope, etc. together with a knot: Sally bent down to tie her shoelaces. We re teaching him how to tie a necktie. a ) transitive to fasten… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
tie — [[t]ta͟ɪ[/t]] ♦♦ ties, tying, tied 1) VERB If you tie two things together or tie them, you fasten them together with a knot. [V n adv/prep] He tied the ends of the plastic bag together... [V n] Mr Saunders tied her hands and feet. 2) VERB If you… … English dictionary
