have one's hands tied

Verb

 * 1) To be powerless to act, to be thwarted.
 * I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. My hands are tied.

Translations

 * Finnish: olla kädet sidottuna
 * French:
 * Greek: δένω τα χέρια
 * Icelandic: vera bundinn í báða skó
 * Turkish: eli kolu bağlı olmak