bind

bind (one) hand and foot

1. Literally, to tie one's hands and feet together. In the movie, the villain bound all the security guards hand and foot so that they couldn't sound the alarm.
2. By extension, to cause one to feel trapped in a daunting situation. Yes, I have a degree now, but this institution has bound me hand and foot to debt that I won't be able to pay off for years.
See also: and, bind, foot, hand

bind (someone or something) together

To join or fasten together. I fell down because some pranksters bound my shoelaces together. The teacher bound us together for the three-legged race.
See also: bind, together

bind (something or someone) down

To anchor or fasten something or someone in place. You need to bind down the shed in the back yard before the big storm. Can you please bind down the baby in her highchair?
See also: bind, down

bind off

In knitting, to make an edge with a row of stitches. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bind" and "off." Your scarf looks great—you just need to bind off now.
See also: bind, off

bind over

1. To present a criminal to a legal authority. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bind" and "over." A: "Who's being interrogated?" B: "Someone the guys on patrol bound over to our department last night."
2. To use a legal obligation to induce a particular action (such as appearing in court or avoiding trouble), as of a criminal. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bind" and "over." My lawyer believes that the judge will bind me over in exchange for my good behavior.
See also: bind, over

bind up

To wrap something or someone in a material. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bind" and "up." I bound up my foot in a bandage to try to reduce the swelling. Bind yourself up in blankets if you're cold.
See also: bind, up

bind up with (something)

1. To wrap someone or something in something. A noun or pronoun is used before or after "up." I need to bind up my foot with a bandage to try to reduce the swelling. The nurses applied cream to the burn victim's skin and bound him up with gauze.
2. To join or fasten multiple people or things together with something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bind" and "up." Bind the books up with this cord—it'll make them easier to carry. They bound the prisoners up with chains so that they couldn't escape.
See also: bind, up

bound hand and foot

1. Literally, having one's hands and feet tied together. In the movie, the security guards were all bound hand and foot so that they couldn't sound the alarm.
2. By extension, feeling trapped in a daunting situation. I graduated from college and found myself bound hand and foot to debt that I won't be able to pay off for years.
See also: and, bound, foot, hand

double bind

A no-win situation. When both of Sally's jobs scheduled her to work on the same day, she was put in a double bind. She needed both incomes and could not afford to lose either position.
See also: bind, double

in a bind

In a particularly difficult or awkward situation, especially one that is not easy to resolve or escape. I'm going to in quite a bind if this loan isn't approved. Sorry I'm late, Fred was in a bind and needed me to drive him home.
See also: bind

in a double bind

In a position in which either of two choices will result in negative consequences; in a no-win situation. When both of Sally's jobs scheduled her to work on the same day, she was put in a double bind. She needed both incomes and could not afford to lose either position.
See also: bind, double

tie (one) hand and foot

1. Literally, to tie someone's hands and feet together. In the movie, the villain tied all the security guards hand and foot so that they couldn't sound the alarm.
2. By extension, to cause someone to feel trapped in a daunting situation. Yes, I have a degree now, but this institution has tied me hand and foot to debt that I won't be able to pay off for years.
See also: and, foot, hand, tie
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

bind someone or something down

to tie or secure someone or something to something. Bind the tarpaulin so it won't get away. We will bind down the patient tightly. They bound the hatch down so it could not be opened.
See also: bind, down

bind someone or something together

to tie the parts of something together; to tie a number of things or people together. Can you bind together all three parts? Bind these two bandits together and lead them to jail.
See also: bind, together

bind someone or something up (in something)

 and bind someone or something up (with something)
to tie someone or something up in something. They bound the books up in leather straps. I will bind up the larger sticks in strong cord.
See also: bind, up

bind someone over (to someone or something)

to deliver someone to some legal authority; to deliver someone to some legal authority. (A legal usage.) They bound the suspect over to the sheriff. The sheriff will bind over the suspect to the county jail.
See also: bind, over

bound hand and foot

with hands and feet tied up. The robbers left us bound hand and foot. We remained bound hand and foot until the police found us and untied us.
See also: and, bound, foot, hand

*in a bind

 and *in a jam
Fig. in a tight or difficult situation; stuck on a problem. (*Typically: be ~; get [into] ~; find oneself ~.) I'm in a bind. I owe a lot of money. Whenever I get into a jam, I ask my supervisor for help. When things get busy around here, we get in a bind. We could use another helper.
See also: bind
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

bind over

Oblige someone to do or not do something; hold on bail or keep under bond. For example, The sheriff will bind over the murder suspect to the homicide division. This phrase is nearly always used in a legal context. [Late 1500s]
See also: bind, over

bound hand and foot

Wholly obligated, unable to free oneself. For example, These rules have us bound hand and foot; we can't even discuss the matter. This term transfers the literal meaning, having one's hands and feet tied and therefore unable to move, to legal, moral, or social obligations. The expression dates from the 10th century a.d.
See also: and, bound, foot, hand

in a bind

Also, in a box or hole or jam or tight corner or tight spot . In a difficult, threatening, or embarrassing position; also, unable to solve a dilemma. For example, He's put us in a bind: we can't refuse, but at the same time we can't fill the order, or Jim's in a box; he can't afford to pay what he owes us, or He quit without giving notice and now we're really in a hole, or We always end up in a jam during the holiday season, or He's in a tight corner with those new customers, or We'll be in a tight spot unless we can find another thousand dollars. All these colloquial terms allude to places from which one can't easily extricate oneself. The phrase using bind was first recorded in 1851; box, 1865; jam, 1914; tight spot, 1852. Also see in a fix.
See also: bind
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a double bind

If you describe a situation as a double bind, you mean that the situation is impossible, because you have a problem that you cannot solve without causing another problem. It is the absent dad's double bind: abandon your children and you are attacked as irresponsible; fight to keep contact with them and you are accused of disrupting the child's new family life. Note: You can also say that you are in a double bind or are caught in a double bind. Women are in a double bind: they are expected to act like men, but are criticized when they do.
See also: bind, double

bound hand and foot

If someone or something is bound hand and foot by something, that thing prevents them from acting freely or doing what they want. These people are bound hand and foot by tradition. In a land bound hand and foot by petty regulations and bureaucracy, he saw that there were thousands of deals just waiting to be done.
See also: and, bound, foot, hand
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

bind (or tie) someone hand and foot

severely restrict someone's freedom to act or make decisions.
See also: and, bind, foot, hand, someone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

in a ˈbind

(American English) in a difficult situation that you do not know how to get out of: I’d be in a bind without a car. I drive everywhere these days.
See also: bind

in a ˌdouble ˈbind

in a situation in which it is difficult to choose what to do because whatever you choose will have negative results: Students are caught in a double bind between a lack of jobs if they leave school and a huge bill for higher education if they stay.
See also: bind, double

bind/tie somebody hand and ˈfoot

remove or restrict somebody’s freedom of action or movement: Staying at home to look after a sick parent often means that a person is tied hand and foot. I can do nothing to help you because I’m bound hand and foot by my present contract.
See also: and, bind, foot, hand, somebody, tie
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

bind off

v.
To secure some number of stitches in knitting and form an edge by lifting one stitch over the next: Bind off 12 stitches on the next row to make the neck edge. Make 5 stitches on the next row and bind them off. The scarf is long enough, so you can bind off.
See also: bind, off

bind over

v.
To put someone under a financial obligation as a guarantee of that person's appearance at trial or of his or her good behavior for a period of time: I was arrested for littering, and the court bound me over to keep the peace for six months. After a brief hearing, the judge bound over the accused murderer for trial and set the bail at one million dollars.
See also: bind, over
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

bind

n. a problem; a wrinkle. Unfortunately, a new bind has slowed down the project.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

in a bind

In a difficult or embarrassing position; also, unable to solve a problem. First recorded in 1851, the term alludes to being bound up and hence unable to function. For example, “With donations failing to come in, the opera company found itself in a bind.” There are numerous synonyms for the expression, the most common of which today are in a hole, in a jam, in a tight corner, in a tight spot, in a fix. See also in a pickle; in a pinch.
See also: bind
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • bind (one) hand and foot
  • bind someone hand and foot
  • bind/tie somebody hand and foot
  • bound hand and foot
  • tie (one) hand and foot
  • literally
  • be scratching (one's) head
  • be scratching your head
  • big boned
  • cover (one's) tracks (up)
References in periodicals archive
Forum members can expect to benefit from direct communication with ISC's developers and the ability to influence the priority of ISC's development projects in an annual BIND Workshop.
ISC BIND FORUM ANNOUNCES INITIAL MEMBERS
One of Jesus' primary accusations against the scribes and Pharisees is that they "bind ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) heavy burdens that are difficult to bear" on the shoulders of those who listen to their teaching (23:4).
Binding and loosing: a paradigm for ethical discernment from the Gospel of Matthew
With Blueprint's funding now certain, BIND is poised to become the largest free database in the field of proteomics.
BIND DATABASE TO BECOME LARGEST FREE DATABASE
"It's a very interesting mode of action for a small molecule to bind to one protein and augment its ability to act with another," says pharmacologist Elliott Ross of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Picking pathways: small molecule boosts morphine effect
Because all three regulators bind to 353 of the genes, the researchers concluded that the regulator proteins work together in keeping a stem cell undifferentiated.
Forever young: digging for the roots of stem cells
Moreover, in pancreatic [beta]-cells, BPA and DES bind to ncmER at doses similar to those of 17[beta]-[E.sub.2], inducing the potentiation of [[[Ca.sup.2+]].sub.i] oscillations (Nadal et al.
Low doses of bisphenol A and diethylstilbestrol impair [Ca.sup.2+] signals in pancreatic [alpha]-cells through a nonclassical membrane estrogen receptor within intact islets of Langerhans
Transcription factors, which are found in the nucleus of every cell, bind to DNA to regulate gene expression.
Sangamo BioSciences granted patent covering methods for identifying target sequences
Recently, N-WASP was shown to be required for Shigella motility (62); like vinculin, it can bind IcsA directly.
Enteropathogenic E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella: Masters of Host Cell Cytoskeletal Exploitation
To find a biomolecule that would bind, the team sifted through a library of protein fragments, or peptides.
Tissue tether: improved conducting plastic could boost nerve-regeneration success
Because both X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy studies revealed that lead can bind the active site of Ape1 (Beernink et al.
Inhibition of Ape1 nuclease activity by lead, iron, and cadmium
(Houston, TX) has patented polynucleotide sequences (bbp) encoding a Bak Binding Protein (BBP) and fragments thereof that bind to Bak.
ARCH obtains United States patent
Brittain and her colleagues found that the integrin molecules could bind a cell to a vessel wall by attaching to thrombospondin there.
A problem of adhesion: more evidence of sickle-cell stickiness
Gauger of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues report that PCBs can act like thyroid hormone in the fetal brain, but that they don't bind to thyroid hormone receptors; instead, the activity happens through a mechanism that is not yet understood [EHP 112:516-523].
When PCBs act like thyroid hormone: mysterious mimicry in the fetal brain
In particular, he and other investigators have begun to create strands of RNA that can target and bind to specific small molecules, much as the proteins known an antibodies do.
Quite a switch: bacteria and perhaps other life forms use RNA as environmental sensors
Signal transduction through the ER requires a translocation of the hormone/ receptor complex to the nucleus, where it can bind to estrogen response elements that bestow estrogen sensitivity on target genes.
Understanding sex differences in environmental health: a thought leaders' roundtable