tie oneself up in knots

Verb

tie oneself in knots (third-person singular simple present ties oneself in knots, present participle tying oneself in knots, simple past and past participle tied oneself in knots)

1. (idiomatic) To put oneself in a difficult situation.
   • Across the border in the Netherlands, there was further controversy when the new US ambassador, Peter Hoekstra, tied himself in knots by claiming he had never spoken about Muslim no-go zones in Europe, an obsession for the far-right, when he had.2018 December 6, Shaun Walker, “Trump's European diplomats tied in knots over rise of populism”, in The Guardian
2. (idiomatic) To become anxious or upset; to fret.
   • The two greatest actors of their generation – the two greatest actors of most generations – [Al] Pacino and [Robert] De Niro will spend the rest of eternity being compared. People will tie themselves up in knots over who did the best work, who was the best in The Godfather Part II, who won their...2023 June 1, Stuart Heritage, “Acting, sexiness and late babies: why Pacino v De Niro is the daddy of all rivalries”, in The Guardian