in knots

English

Compare knot (“difficult situation”).

In a state of disagreement or confusion; at a standstill; in a deadlock.
- 2023 July 5, Eddy Wax, “Liberals divided over 2024 EU election campaign strategy”, in Politico‎^[1]:
  Centrists are in knots over whether to field one or several candidates to be the faces of their 2024 campaign.
- 2023 December 15, Carl Hulse, “A ‘Historical and Hysterical’ House Flees After a Tumultuous Year”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:
  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.