[TopAce]

All handcuffs are schakles but not all shackles are handcuffs?

[Setekh]

Yeah, that's a good way of saying it. However, even though that's true strictly speaking, it would be unusual for someone to tell you that you're wearing shackles if you were wearing handcuffs. Shackles is a little more old-fashioned, too. I would basically only use the word shackles to describe someone whose legs/feet are shackled.

[Stealth]

by the way TopAce, being that English is your second-language, you speak it amazingly well.

[TopAce]

Thank you.

[pyro-manic]

Yup. Top-notch. You're better than a lot of the native English speakers here.

As regards to shackles, that word (to me at least) describes heavy cuffs (possibly cast iron) linked by chains. They could be around the ankles as well as the wrists, and both sets may be chained together. Think of those cuffs you see death-row prisoners wearing, or perhaps something a classic pirate might be chained up in.

[Kosh]

I think "Tsar" is the phoenetic spelling of Czar. I could be wrong. Maybe too many people were pronouncing it "ceaser" or something.

[aldo_14]

Note; never search for 'shackles' in google image search; it's deeply disturbing.

Oh, and shackles are often used to refer to being 'stuck' in a particular role or job; i.e. going on holiday is 'escaping the shackles of work'.