to be tied up
61tied — North Country (Newcastle) Words obliged, compelled, sure, certain: I m tied to go …
62tied to an apron string — vp Dominated by the wife or a woman. Fred can t go fishing on the weekend; he s tied to his wife s apron string. 1930s …
63tied\ to\ one's\ mother's\ apron\ strings — Not independent of your mother; not able to do anything without asking your mother. Even after he grew up he was still tied to his mother s apron strings …
64tied to your mother's apron strings — still dependent on mom, needing your mom s help He has to ask his mother. He s still tied to her apron strings …
65tied up — busy, unable to help I m tied up right now. I m busy with a client …
66tied up — unwilling to see or speak to a caller The phrase has no connection with the old meaning, constipated, or with a fetish for bondage: Wouldn t it be better to say I m tied up or in a meeting ? (P. D. James, 1994) …
67tied down — have family or job responsibilities I never see him anymore as he is tied down because of his busy schedule at work …
68tied outlet — A retail outlet that is obliged to sell only the products of one producer (and possibly other noncompeting products). The outlet is usually owned by the producer; in other cases the outlet agrees to become tied in return for financial concessions …
69tied up — [ˌtaɪd ˈʌp] adj 1) very busy 2) if your money is tied up in something, it is being used for that thing and you cannot use it for anything else …
70tied house — /taɪd ˈhaʊs/ (say tuyd hows) noun British a retailer who is obliged to sell the products of a particular manufacturer, as a hotel tied to a brewery under an agreement to sell draught beer from that brewery only …