What does "tied up" means?

TIED UP (from the verb "tie")

You can tie up somebody with strings, but you can use this phrase in a few different ways, too.

You can tie up someone with a difficult task. (They will be tied up)
You can tie up your money, too. (The money will be tied up)
And you (or something) can tie up the traffic on the street.

I made a caricature about Sheldon from Big Bang Theory with an example.

And now let's see the details.

TIED UP (adjective)

If someone (or something) is tied up, they are busy.

He's tied up with his new job. He's working hard.
I'm all tied up at the moment and can't see you.

If the money is tied up, you can't use it for anything else.

He bought some apartments in this new building. A lot of his money is tied up in property.
He does not have any cash now, because all of his money is tied up in stocks.

TIE (TRAFFIC) UP (phrasal verb)

If traffic is tied up, it is not moving very quickly.

A crash on the road tied up traffic for a bit yesterday evening around eight.
Never stop in the middle of the roadway. It'll tie up traffic.

Two funny conversations from tv-series:

Big Bang Theory

[Sheldon's mother] Let me ask you,when you get back out there,are you wearing this?
[Penny] Well,it's super cute on. That top has paid for itself in free drinks like ten times what it cost.
[Sheldon] Yes, Penny has a lot of her money tied up in promiscuity futures.
[Sheldon's mother] Hon,you think maybe the reason why you're having trouble finding a guy to settle down with is because you're letting them ride the roller coaster without buying a ticket?
[Penny] Oh,they don't always get to ride the roller coaster. Sometimes they only get to spin the teacups.

You can find this video on my Instagram!
(This is a pretty old video, and it is worst than the newer ones. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:)

Family Guy

[Lois] You're not qualified to sit in that chair.
[Peter] Oh, aren't I ? Maybe there's a rabbit head under here.
[Lois] Peter, all of my father's assets are tied up in that corporation.
If you freeze up his money, he's not gonna have anything to live on.
Now you are gonna make amends with daddy, and that's final.
[Peter] All right, Lois, if that's what you want.

I hope it was useful, and you can use this phrase in the future without any problems.