in knots en · ADP
Etymology
Compare knot (“difficult situation”).
Meanings
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In a state of disagreement or confusion; at a standstill; in a deadlock.
The conservative stance made it difficult to advance the legislation, and the appropriations process ended up in knots despite a Republican pledge to consider and pass 12 individual spending bills.
2023 December 15, Carl Hulse, “A ‘Historical and Hysterical’ House Flees After a Tumultuous Year”, in The New York Times:Centrists are in knots over whether to field one or several candidates to be the faces of their 2024 campaign.
2023 July 5, Eddy Wax, “Liberals divided over 2024 EU election campaign strategy”, in Politico: