force someone's hand

== English == === Etymology === A metaphorical reference to card games. === Pronunciation === === Verb === force someone's hand (third-person singular simple present forces someone's hand, present participle forcing someone's hand, simple past and past participle forced someone's hand) (idiomatic) Bring about a situation which necessitates an agent to act, often causing a plan to be executed prematurely. ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== preclude