Meaning & use
hog ties
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“hog ties” is a form of “hog-tie”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Ties a person's or animal's hands and feet, or all four legs, together so that it cannot move.
Grammar: Takes an object: she hog-ties the calf.
Patterns
- hog-tie someone or something
In the rodeo event, the cowboy hog ties the calf in under ten seconds.
The thief hog ties the guard before running off.
Each time the rancher hog ties a steer, the crowd cheers.
verbtransitivefigurativeinformal
Prevents someone or something from acting freely, usually because of strict rules or restrictions.
Grammar: Takes an object and is often used in the passive: the team was hog-tied by rules.
Patterns
- hog-tie someone with something
Red tape hog ties every small business that tries to expand.
The law hog ties local officials who want to respond quickly.
This contract hog ties the company for five years.
nounplural
The restraint made by tying all four limbs together, or a knot used to do this.
Grammar: Plural of the noun hog tie: three hog ties were used.
The cowboys practiced their hog ties on dummy calves.
Hog ties are used in competition rodeo.
Judges score how tight the hog ties are.
Word forms
| third person singular | hog-ties |
|---|---|
| past tense | hog-tied |
| past participle | hog-tied |
| -ing form | hog-tying |
Common combinations
- hog-tie a calf
- He can hog-tie a calf faster than anyone here.
- be hog-tied by rules
- The inspectors were hog-tied by outdated rules.
- feel hog-tied
- After the budget cut, she felt hog-tied.
- hog-tied and gagged
- The victim was found hog-tied and gagged.
Synonyms and how they differ
- truss
- Truss means to tie up tightly, often a chicken or a parcel, and sounds less violent than hog-tie.
- shackle
- Shackle usually implies restraint with chains or cuffs, though it also has a figurative use like hog-tie.
- hamstring
- Hamstring is only figurative in most uses and suggests crippling someone's ability to act, not tying them up.
- handcuff
- Handcuff restrains only the hands and is tied to police work.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hog ties or hamstring?
hog ties vs hamstring
To hamstring is to cripple by cutting or limiting, not to tie up.
Practice
The cowboy quickly ____ the calf's legs together so it could not run.
Choose one answer.
The sentence is in the past tense, so the past form hog-tied is needed. Hog-tie is the base form and hog-tying needs an auxiliary verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hog ties”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.