(usu in pl) a shackle or handcuff(usu in pl) a restraint the manacles of etiquette [Middle English manicle via French from Latin manicula, dimin. of manus hand]
to confine (the hands) with manaclesto subject (somebody) to a restraint Writers of all kinds are manacled servants of the public. We write frankly and fearlessly but then we ‘modify’ before we print — Mark Twain