pin down

US /pɪn daʊn/
UK /pɪn daʊn/
"pin down" picture
1.

festlegen, genau bestimmen

to understand or describe something exactly

:
It's hard to pin down the exact cause of the problem.
Es ist schwer, die genaue Ursache des Problems festzulegen.
I can't quite pin down what's bothering me.
Ich kann nicht genau festlegen, was mich stört.
2.

festnageln, festhalten

to make someone stay in a particular place or prevent them from moving

:
The police managed to pin down the suspect in the alley.
Die Polizei konnte den Verdächtigen in der Gasse festnageln.
The heavy rain pinned us down in the cabin for hours.
Der starke Regen hielt uns stundenlang in der Hütte fest.