to tie oneself (up) in knots
01
to do something that makes oneself overly worried or confused
![to [tie] {oneself} (up|) (in|into) knots definition and meaning](https://cdn.langeek.co/photo/45623/original/?type=jpeg "to [tie] {oneself} (up|) (in|into) knots definition and meaning")
Idiom
Informal
例
I was tying myself in knots trying to explain what happened without getting him into trouble.
Now do n't go tying yourself into knots over the details of your papers — at this point, all you need is a cohesive outline.
