to bind hand and foot
1
8.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
atar de pies y manos
- The great cause lies in the religious system which they profess, which binds them hand and foot.
Examples
-
They were bound, hand and foot.
Fiction book (1994) -
Kneeling to speak with them in that miserable position, Dante is reminded of the similar fate of convicted assassins in his native Florence, executed by being bound hand and foot and buried alive head-down in a hole.
Fiction book (1994) -
You fight them with all your strength, almost win; but they bind you hand and foot, getting ready to chop you up with meat cleavers.
Fiction book (1995) -
They bind Wallace hand and foot.
Fiction book (1995) -
As much as I fought and struggled, they overpowered and bound me hand and foot with ropes.
Fiction book (1995) -
Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?
Blog text (28) -
After struggling for hours, they finally managed to bind hand and foot the intruder, ensuring he could not escape.
-
The thieves bind hand and foot their captives to prevent them from calling for help.
-
In a desperate situation, the soldiers had to bind hand and foot the rebel leader to stop his resistance.
Synonyms
314
4.2
To make someone stay in one place or situation
86
4.6
Hold a person or thing so it cannot move freely
64
5.6
To limit what someone can do or how they can act
35
6.2
To restrain someone with chains or limit their freedom
17
4.7
To limit someone's freedom because they have responsibilities
9
7.6
To make it difficult for someone or something to act
8
4.7
To stop a person or thing from moving, acting freely and making choices
6
6.7
Surround a person or thing so they cannot leave
3
8.7
To tie or chain someone's feet to stop them moving freely
1
4.8
Stop someone from acting or making decisions
1
7.2
To limit someone's freedom, power, or plans
1
9.5
To tie someone with chains or hold them under close control
1
7.8
Make someone feel they cannot act freely or be themselves
To limit someone's freedom or creativity
To hold back or make it hard for someone to act freely
Make someone walk by holding their arms, usually against their will
Antonyms
How Restricted
- Informal
1
8.0
86
4.6
74
2.2
47
4.2
∞
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to restrict someone completely' is directly and literally derived from 'bind' (to tie) combined with 'hand' and 'foot' — the image of tying someone's hands and feet clearly conveys inability to act. This compositional image is common across languages and follows straightforward physical logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Bind hand and foot comes from the image of tying a person's hand and foot with ropes so they cannot move. So today it means 'to restrict someone completely' or 'to stop them from acting freely'.