to tie oneself in knots
1
7.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
enredarse
- When faced with the complicated paperwork, she found herself tying herself in knots trying to understand everything.
Examples
-
Flora hated to see you tie yourself in knots to find excuses, but Christine always said we mustn't intrude.
Fiction book (1996) -
It's really not that hard to be polite to people without tying yourself in knots over how you're supposed to treat them because of their gender.
Blog text (23) -
Obama has tied himself in knots.
Blog text (10) -
You are really tying yourself in knots now.
Blog text (32) -
You are really tying yourself in knots now.
Blog text (32) -
Watching a stranger tie himself in knots is… probably not your idea of fun just now, but…
-
But Ferguson absolutely ties himself in knots with his attempts to turn that scoreboard upside down.
Blog text (8) -
In fact, the whole thing kept caving in, but I didn't have time to put in supports because there was another contraction, tying me in knots.
Fiction book (1993) -
So the irony is that we're tying ourselves in knots about SGR—which pays doctors for how much they do—when the focus is supposedly on creating a system that rewards doctors for how well they do.
Blog text (30) -
He tends to tie himself in knots when he worries too much about making the right decision.
Synonyms
2
9.1
To become upset or worried about small things
1
9.8
To become upset or worried about something not important
Get very upset or worried about something small
Antonyms
How Anxious
272
2.3
- Informal
1
7.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal components 'tie' + 'knot(s)' create a vivid image of physical tangling, which readily maps onto a mental state of being confused or entangled; a B1 learner who knows the words would likely infer a general sense of becoming confused or mentally 'tangled'. However, the specific idiomatic nuance—that this confusion is self-inflicted, often anxious or caused by trying too hard—is metaphorical and may not be fully predictable without prior exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Tie oneself in knots creates a clear image: imagine someone trying to tie their arms and body into knots, so they become tangled and cannot think or move easily. That's why it means 'to become very confused, anxious, or upset' when someone worries too much.