force someone's hand

Etymology
A metaphorical reference to card games.

Verb

 * 1)  Bring about a situation which necessitates an agent to act, often causing a plan to be executed prematurely.

Translations

 * Arabic:
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Finnish: pakottaa toimimaan
 * French:
 * Hindi:
 * Russian:
 * Serbo-Croatian:
 * Spanish: