tie oneself in knots

English

Alternative forms

• tie oneself up in knots

Verb

tie oneself in knots (third-person singular simple present ties oneself in knots, present participle tying oneself in knots, simple past and past participle tied oneself in knots)

1. (idiomatic) To put oneself in a difficult situation.
   • 2018 December 6, Shaun Walker, “Trump's European diplomats tied in knots over rise of populism”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Across the border in the Netherlands, there was further controversy when the new US ambassador, Peter Hoekstra, tied himself in knots by claiming he had never spoken about Muslim no-go zones in Europe, an obsession for the far-right, when he had.

2. (idiomatic) To become anxious or upset; to fret.
   • 2023 June 1, Stuart Heritage, “Acting, sexiness and late babies: why Pacino v De Niro is the daddy of all rivalries”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     The two greatest actors of their generation – the two greatest actors of most generations – [Al] Pacino and [Robert] De Niro will spend the rest of eternity being compared. People will tie themselves up in knots over who did the best work, who was the best in The Godfather Part II, who won their first scene together in Heat, who was the least bad in Righteous Kill.

Related terms

• in knots
• tied in knots
• tie in knots

 

Translations

to become anxious or upset; to fret

• Finnish: hermoilla
• French: se prendre la tête (fr), se faire de la bile (fr), se faire du mauvais sang (fr), se ronger les sangs, se faire un sang d’encre (fr), se faire des cheveux blancs (fr)
• Polish: zaniepokoić się pf

References

• “tie yourself in knots” (US) / “tie yourself in knots” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “tie oneself in knots”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “to tie yourself in knots”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “tie yourself up in knots” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.