tie up

tie up idiom
  1. Fasten securely; also, moor a ship. For example, Can you help me tie up these bundles? or The forecast was terrible, so we decided to tie up at the dock and wait out the storm. The first usage dates from the early 1500s, the nautical usage from the mid-1800s.
  2. Impede the progress of, block, as in The accident tied up traffic for hours. [Late 1500s]
  3. Keep occupied, engage, as in She was tied up in a meeting all morning. [Late 1800s]
  4. Make funds or property inaccessible for other uses, as in Her cash is tied up in government bonds. [Early 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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