expression, i-adjective
have no way out; nothing can be done; at one's wit's end
Used when all possible measures have been exhausted and there is no remaining solution. Often carries a nuance of helplessness or desperation.
もう打つ手がない。どうすればいいんだ。
There's nothing more I can do. What should I do?
会社は資金繰りに行き詰
The company is stuck in a cash-flow crisis and has no way out.
Similar meaning but more emphatic, literally 'there is no way to take action'. 打つ手がない is more common and slightly less formal.
Means 'throwing up one's hands' in defeat; more colloquial and implies giving up, while 打つ手がない focuses on the lack of options.
Literally 'there is no move to make', from 打つ (to strike, to make a move) + 手 (hand, means) + がない (there is no). The expression likely originates from board games like shogi or go, where having no move left means defeat.