hitch

hitch a ride Go to thumb a ride.

hither, thither, and yon everywhere; here,

there, and everywhere. (Formal and ar-

chaic.) The prince looked hither, thither,

and yon for the beautiful woman who had

lost the glass slipper. The terrible wiz-

ard had sown the seeds of his evil vine

hither, thither, and yon, and soon the evil,

twisted plants began to sprout in all the

land.

hitting on all cylinders Go to firing on all

cylinders.

a hive of activity the location where things

are very busy. (Refers to the activity

around a beehive.) The hotel lobby was

a hive of activity each morning. Dur-

ing the holidays, the shopping center is a

hive of activity.

hoarse as a crow Go to (as) hoarse as a

crow.

Hobson’s choice the choice between tak-

ing what is offered and getting nothing at

all. (From the name of a stable owner in

the seventeenth century who offered cus-

tomers the hire of the horse nearest the

door.) We didn’t really want that par-

ticular hotel, but it was a case of Hobson’s

choice. We booked very late and there was

nothing else left. If you want a yellow

car, it’s Hobson’s choice. The garage has

only one.

hoist by one’s own petard and hoist with

one’s own petard harmed or disadvan-

taged by an action of one’s own that was

meant to harm someone else. (From a

line in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.) She in-

tended to murder her brother but was hoist

by her own petard when she ate the poi-

soned food intended for him. The van-

dals were hoist with their own petard when

they tried to make an emergency call from

the pay phone they had broken.

hoist with one’s own petard Go to hoist by

one’s own petard.

hold a grudge (against someone) Go to

bear a grudge (against someone).

hold all the aces to be in a favorable po-

sition; to be in a controlling position

(Slang. Refers to having possession of all

four aces in a card game.) How can I

advance in my job when my enemy holds

all the aces? If I held all the aces, I’d be

able to do great things.

hold a meeting to meet; to have a meet-

ing (of an organization). We’ll have to

hold a meeting to make a decision. Our

club held a meeting to talk about future

projects.

hold forth (on something) to speak at length.

I’ve never seen anyone who could hold

forth so long. The professor held forth on

economic theory for nearly an hour.

hold no brief for someone or something not to

care about someone or something; to dis-

like someone or something. I hold no

brief for bad typists. My father says he

holds no brief for sweet potatoes.

hold one’s breath to stop doing something

and wait until something special hap-

pens. (Also literal. Informal. Usually in

the negative.) BOB: The bus is going to

come soon. BILL: Don’t hold your breath

until it does. I expect the mail to be de-

livered soon, but I’m not holding my

breath.

hold one’s end (of the bargain) up to do

one’s part as agreed; to attend to one’s re-

sponsibilities as agreed. If you don’t

hold your end up, the whole project will

fail. T Tom has to learn to cooperate. He

must hold up his end of the bargain.

hold one’s fire 1. to refrain from shooting

(a gun, etc.). The sergeant told the sol-

diers to hold their fire. Please hold your

fire until I get out of the way. 2. to post-

pone one’s criticism or commentary.

(Informal.) Now, now, hold your fire

until I’ve had a chance to explain.

Hold your fire, Bill. You’re too quick to

complain.

hold one’s ground Go to stand one’s ground.

hold one’s head up to retain or display

one’s dignity. (Also literal.) I’ve done

nothing wrong. I can hold my head up in

public. T I’m so embarrassed and

ashamed. I’ll never be able to hold up my

head again.

hold one’s own to do as well as anyone else.

I can hold my own in a footrace any day.

She was unable to hold her own, and she

had to quit.

hold one’s temper Go to keep one’s temper.

hold one’s tongue to refrain from speaking;

to refrain from saying something un-

pleasant. (See also the fixed phrase Hold

your tongue!) I felt like scolding her, but

I held my tongue. You must learn to hold

your tongue, John. You can’t talk to peo-

ple that way.

hold on (to someone or something) Go to hang

on (to someone or something).

hold out the olive branch to offer to end

a dispute and be friendly; to offer recon-

ciliation. (The olive branch is a symbol of

peace and reconciliation. A biblical ref-

erence.) Jill was the first to hold out the

olive branch after our argument. I al-

ways try to hold out the olive branch to

someone I have hurt. Life is too short for

a person to bear grudges for very long.

hold someone down to try to keep someone

from succeeding. (Also literal.) I still

think you’re trying to hold him down. T

I’m not trying to hold down my brother.

hold someone hostage to keep someone as

a hostage. The terrorists planned to hold

everyone hostage in the airplane.

neighbor was held hostage in his own home

by a robber.

hold someone in high regard to have very

great respect for someone or something;

to admire someone or something greatly.

We hold our employees in very high re-

gard. I do not hold Bob’s abilities in high

regard.

hold someone or something in check Go to

keep someone or something in check.

hold someone or something over to retain

someone or something (for a period of

time). The storm held John over for an-

other day. The manager held the movie

over for another week.

hold someone or something up 1. [with some-

one] to rob someone (figuratively or lit-

erally). I don’t eat at that restaurant any

more. The food is too expensive. They

really held me up the last time I ate there.

That’s the one who held me up at gun-

point. T The thug held up the old lady. 2.

to detain someone or something; to make

someone or something late. (Also literal

meaning to keep someone or something

upright.) The traffic on the expressway

held me up. T A storm in Boston held up

our plane.

hold someone’s attention to keep someone’s

attention; to keep someone interested.

The boring teacher could not hold the stu-

dents’ attention. The mystery novel held

my attention and I couldn’t put it down.

hold something against someone to blame

something on someone; to bear a grudge

against someone; to resent someone. (Also

literal.) Your brother is mean to me, but

I can’t hold it against you. You’re hold-

ing something against me. What is it?

hold still Go to keep still.

hold still for something Go to stand still for

something.

hold the fort to take care of a place, such

as a store or one’s home. (Refers to de-

fending a fort against attackers. Informal.

From western movies.) I’m going next

door to visit Mrs. Jones. You stay here and

hold the fort. You should open the store

at eight o’clock and hold the fort until I get

there at ten.

hold the line (at someone or something) to

limit the number of people or things; to

limit (something) to someone or some-

thing. (See also draw the line (at some-

The room will seat fifty, but I

think you should hold the line at forty.

The Browns and the Smiths could be in-

vited, but I think we ought to hold the line

at the Browns. Okay, we’ll hold the line.

hold up to endure; to last a long time.

How long will this cloth hold up? I want

my money back for this chair. It isn’t hold-

ing up well.

hold up (for someone or something) Go to wait

up (for someone or something).

hold up on something to delay doing some-

thing. Please hold up on the project.

We’ve run out of money. I have to hold

up on my reading because I broke my

glasses.

hold with something to accept or agree with

something. (Folksy. Usually in the nega-

tive.) My father doesn’t hold with fancy

clothes. I don’t hold with too many X

rays.

Hold your horses! Wait a minute and be

reasonable!; Do not run off wildly!

(Folksy. From western movies.) Now,

hold your horses, John. Be reasonable for

a change. Don’t get so mad. Just hold

your horses.

Hold your tongue! Be quiet!; Stop saying

what you are saying! Hold your tongue!

I’ve heard enough of your insults. That’s

enough rudeness for today! Hold your

tongue!

a hole in one 1. an instance of hitting a

golf ball into a hole in only one try.

(From the game of golf.) John made a

hole in one yesterday. I’ve never gotten

a hole in one. 2. an instance of succeed-

ing the first time. It worked the first

time I tried it—a hole in one. Bob got

a hole in one on that sale. A lady walked

in the door, and he sold her a car in five

minutes.

hole up (somewhere) to hide somewhere; to

live in hiding somewhere. (Slang. Typi-

cally in western or gangster movies.)

The old man is holed up in the mountains,

waiting for the war to end. If we are go-

ing to hole up for the winter, we’ll need lots

of food.

home in (on someone or something) to aim ex-

actly at something and move toward it.

The sheriff walked into the room and

homed in on the horse thief. The plane

homed in on the beacon at the airport.

First, you must set your goal and then

home in.

honest and aboveboard Go to above-

board.

Honest to God. Go to Honest to goodness.

Honest to goodness. and Honest to

God.; Honest to Pete. I speak the truth.

(Some people may object to the use of

God in this phrase.) Did he really say

that? Honest to goodness?  Honest to

Pete, I’ve been to the moon. I’ve been

there, too—honest to God.

Honest to Pete. Go to Honest to goodness.

The honeymoon is over. The early pleas-

ant beginning has ended. Okay, the

honeymoon is over. It’s time to settle down

and do some hard work. I knew the hon-

eymoon was over when they started yelling

at me to work faster.

honor someone’s check to accept someone’s

personal check. The clerk at the store

wouldn’t honor my check. I had to pay

cash. The bank didn’t honor your check

when I tried to deposit it. Please give me

cash.

hooked (on something) 1. addicted to a drug

or something similar. (Slang.) Jenny is

hooked on cocaine. She was not hooked

on anything before that. John is hooked

on coffee. 2. enthusiastic about some-

thing; supportive of something. Mary

is hooked on football. She never misses a

game. Jane is so happy! She’s hooked on

life.

hoot and holler to shout in disapproval; to

call and shout one’s displeasure. After

the umpire rendered his decision, the spec-

tators hooted and hollered their thoughts

on the matter. It’s hard to play a good

game of basketball when the fans are hoot-

ing and hollering at everything you do.

a hop, skip, and a jump a short distance.

(Also literal.) Her house was just a hop,

skip, and a jump away from mine, so we

visited often. Our town is just a hop,

skip, and a jump from a big city, so we get

the advantages of both city and country

life.

Hop to it! Move fast!; Get started! (Slang.)

Come on, you guys, move it! Hop to it!

Hop to it, Bill. You look like you’re

loafing.

hope against (all) hope to have hope even

when the situation appears to be hope-

less. We hope against all hope that she’ll

see the right thing to do and do it. There

is little point in hoping against hope, ex-

cept that it makes you feel better.

hopeless at doing something incapable of do-

ing something. Tom is hopeless at cook-

Sally is hopeless at dusting. She

hates it.

hopped up 1. intoxicated with drugs or al-

cohol; stimulated by drugs or alcohol.

(Slang.) The old man was hopped up

again. He was addicted to opium. John

usually gets hopped up on the weekends. 2.

excited; enthusiastic. (Slang.) What are

you hopped up about now? You’re certainly

cheery. I always get hopped up when I

think of mountain climbing.

horn in (on someone or something) 1. [with

someone] to attempt to displace someone.

(Informal.) I’m going to ask Sally to the

party. Don’t you dare try to horn in on me!

I wouldn’t think of horning in. 2. [with

something] to attempt to participate in

something without invitation or consent.

Are you trying to horn in on my con-

versation with Sally? I hope you are not

trying to horn in on our party.

horse and buggy and horse and car-

riage a carriage pulled by a horse, as

opposed to a modern automobile. (A

symbol of old-fashionedness or out-of-

dateness. Particularly with go out with, as

in the examples below.) That kind of

clothing went out with the horse and

buggy. I thought suspenders went out

with the horse and carriage, but I see them

everywhere now.

horse and carriage Go to horse and

buggy.

horse around to play around; to waste

time in frivolous activities. (Informal.)

Stop horsing around and get to work.

The children were on the playground hors-

ing around when the bell rang.

a horse of a different color Go to a horse

of another color.

a horse of another color and a horse of

a different color another matter alto-

gether. I was talking about trees, not

bushes. Bushes are a horse of another color.

Gambling is not the same as investing

in the stock market. It’s a horse of a dif-

ferent color.

horse sense common sense; practical

thinking. Jack is no scholar but he has

a lot of horse sense. Horse sense tells me

I should not be involved in that project.

hot and bothered 1. excited; anxious. (In-

formal.) Now don’t get hot and both-

ered. Take it easy. John is hot and both-

ered about the tax increase. 2. amorous;

interested in romance or sex. (Informal

and euphemistic. Use with caution.)

John gets hot and bothered whenever Mary

comes into the room. The dog seems hot

and bothered. I think it’s that time of the

year again.

hot and heavy referring to serious passion

or emotions. Things were getting a lit-

tle hot and heavy so Ellen asked to be taken

The movie had one hot and

heavy scene after another. Pretty soon it

got to be a joke.

hot as fire Go to (as) hot as fire.

hot as hell Go to (as) hot as hell.

hot on something enthusiastic about some-

thing; very much interested in some-

thing; knowledgeable about something.

(Informal.) Meg’s hot on animal rights.

Jean is hot on modern ballet just now.

hot under the collar very angry. The

boss was really hot under the collar when

you told him you lost the contract. I get

hot under the collar every time I think

about it.

hotfoot it out of somewhere to run away

from a place. (Folksy. Compare this with

high tail it out of somewhere.) Did you

see Tom hotfoot it out of the office when

the boss came in? Things are looking

bad. I think we had better hotfoot it out

of here.

How goes it (with you)? Hello, how are

you? (Informal.) Hi, Mary. How goes

it with you? How goes it, Bill?

How’s the world (been) treating you?

How are you? Hi, Jane, How’s the world

treating you?  How’s the world been

treating you, Bill?

a hue and cry a loud public protest or op-

position. There was a hue and cry when

the city government tried to build houses

on the playing field.  The decision to

close the local school started a real hue and

cry.

huff and puff to breathe very hard; to pant

as one exerts effort. John came up the

stairs huffing and puffing. He huffed

and puffed and finally got up the steep hill.

hung up (on someone or something) obsessed

with someone or something; devoted to

someone or something. (Slang.) John

is really hung up on Mary. She’s hung

up, too. See how she smiles when he en-

ters the room.

hunger for something to have a strong de-

sire for something. All her life, Mary

has had a hunger for affection. The pris-

oner was consumed with a hunger for

freedom.

hungry as a bear Go to (as) hungry as a

bear.

hungry as a hunter Go to (as) hungry as

a hunter.

hungry for something desiring something.

The orphan was hungry for the warmth of

a family. Bill is hungry for knowledge

and always studying.

hunt-and-peck a slow “system” of typing

where one searches for a letter and then

presses it. (From the movement used by

fowls when feeding.) I never learned

to type right. All I do is hunt-and-peck.

I can’t type. I just hunt-and-peck, but I get

the job done—eventually.

hunt someone or something up Go to look some-

one or something up.

hurl an insult (at someone) to direct an in-

sult at someone; to say something insult-

ing directly to someone. Anne hurled

an insult at Bob that made him very an-

gry. If you two would stop hurling in-

sults, we could have a serious discussion.

a hush fell over someone or something a sud-

den silence enveloped something, some-

one, or a group. As the conductor raised

his arms, a hush fell over the audience.

The coach shouted and a hush fell over the

locker room.

hush money money paid as a bribe to per-

suade someone to remain silent and not

reveal certain information. Bob gave

his younger sister hush money so that she

wouldn’t tell Jane that he had gone to the

movies with Sue. The crooks paid Fred

hush money to keep their whereabouts

secret.

head

a head and per head [for] a person; [for]

an individual. (Also used for cattle.)

How much do you charge per head for din-

ner? It costs four dollars a head.

head and shoulders above someone or

something clearly superior to someone or

something. (Often with stand, as in the

example.) This wine is head and shoul-

ders above that one. John stands head

and shoulders above Bob.

head for someone or something to aim for or

move toward someone or something.

She waved good-bye as she headed for the

door. Ann came in and headed for her

mother.

head for the last roundup to reach the

end of something. (Originally said of a

dying cowboy.) This ballpoint pen is

headed for the last roundup. I have to get

another one. I am so weak. I think I’m

headed for the last roundup.

head over heels in debt deeply in debt.

Finally, when she was head over heels in

debt, she tore up her credit cards.  I

couldn’t stand being head over heels in

debt, so I always pay off my bills

immediately.

head over heels in love (with someone)

very much in love with someone. (See

also fall head over heels in love (with

someone).) John is head over heels in love

with Mary. They are head over heels in

head someone or something off to prevent

someone or something from arriving.

The doctors worked round the clock to

head the epidemic off. Bill headed his

mother off so that we had time to clean

up the mess before she saw it. T The

farmer headed off the herd of sheep before

it ruined our picnic.

head something up to serve as leader or head

of something. I had already agreed to

head the fund-raising campaign up. T

They asked me to head up the meeting.

heads or tails the face of a coin or the

other side of a coin. (Often used in an act

of coin tossing, where one circumstance

is valid if the front of a coin appears and

another circumstance is valid if the other

side appears.) Jim looked at Jane as he

f lipped the coin into the air. “Heads or

tails?” he asked.   It doesn’t matter

whether the result of the toss is heads or

tails. I won’t like the outcome in any case.

Heads up! Raise your head from work and

look around you carefully for informa-

tion, danger, or warnings that you need

to see! Heads up! Watch out for that

door! Heads up! There is a car coming.

heads will roll someone will get into se-

vere trouble. (Informal.) When the

company’s year-end results are known,

heads will roll. Heads will roll when the

principal sees the damaged classroom.

hear a peep out of someone to get some

sort of a response from someone; to hear

the smallest word from someone. (Usu-

ally in the negative.) I don’t want to

hear another peep out of you. I didn’t

know they were there. I didn’t hear a peep

out of them.

hear of something to tolerate something; to

permit something. (Usually negative.)

No, you cannot go to the movies! I won’t

hear of it! My mother wouldn’t hear of

my marrying Bill.

heart and soul the central core [of some-

one or something]. (Also literal.) My

very heart and soul was made sad by her

hurtful attitude. Now we are getting to

the heart and soul of the matter. This

feature is the heart and soul of my

invention.

[heart goes out to someone] Go to one’s

heart goes out to someone.

[heart is in one’s mouth] Go to one’s heart

is in one’s mouth.

[heart is in the right place] Go to one’s

heart is in the right place.

[heart is (dead) set against something] Go

to one’s heart is (dead) set against some-

thing.

[heart is set on something] Go to one’s heart

is set on something.

[heart misses a beat] Go to one’s heart

misses a beat.

[heart skips a beat] Go to one’s heart skips

a beat.

[heart stands still] Go to one’s heart stands

still.

heavy going difficult to do, understand, or

make progress with. (Informal.) Jim

finds math heavy going.  Talking to

Mary is heavy going. She has nothing to

say.

hedge one’s bets to reduce one’s loss on a

bet or on an investment by counterbal-

ancing the loss in some way. (Slang.)

Bob bet Ann that the plane would be late.

He usually hedges his bets. This time he

called the airline and asked about the

plane before he made the bet.  John

bought some stock and then bet Mary that

the stock would go down in value in one

year. He has hedged his bets perfectly. If the

stock goes up, he sells it, pays off Mary, and

still makes a profit. If it goes down, he re-

duces his loss by winning the bet he made

with Mary.

hell on earth a very unpleasant situation,

as if one were in hell. That man made

my life hell on earth! The whole time I

was there was just hell on earth.

help do something to assist [someone to] do

something. Bill can help load the truck.

I am too tired to help mow the grass.

Bill can help us load the truck. I am too

tired to help you mow the grass.

help oneself to take whatever one wants or

needs. Please have some candy. Help

yourself. When you go to a cafeteria, you

help yourself to the food.  Bill helped

himself to dessert.

help (someone or something) out (with some-

one or something) to assist (someone or

something) with a person or a thing.

Can you help me out with my geometry?

Yes, I can help out. T Please help out my

son with his geometry. Please help me

out around the house. T We helped out the

school with its fund-raising.

hem and haw (around) to be uncertain

about something; to be evasive; to say

“ah” and “eh” when speaking—avoiding

saying something meaningful. (Folksy.)

Stop hemming and hawing around. I

want an answer. Don’t just hem and

haw around. Speak up. We want to hear

what you think.

hem someone or something in to trap or en-

close someone or something. The large

city buildings hem me in. T Don’t hem in

the bird. Let it have a way to escape.

the here and now the present, as opposed

to the past or the future. I don’t care

what’s happening tomorrow or next week!

I care about the here and now. The past

is dead. Let’s worry about the here and

now.

here and there at this place and that; from

place to place. (Could imply a casual

search. See also here, there, and every-

where; hither and thither.) We find rare

books in used-book stores here and there.

She didn’t make a systematic search. She

just looked here and there.

Here goes nothing. I am beginning to do

something that will probably fail or be

poorly done. (Informal.) Sally stood on

the diving board and said, “Here goes

nothing.” As Ann walked onto the stage,

she whispered, “Here goes nothing.”

Here (it) goes. Something is going to start.;

I will start now.; I will do it now. (Infor-

mal or slang.) I’m ready to start now.

Here goes. Okay, it’s my turn to kick the

ball. Here it goes!

here, there, and everywhere everywhere;

at all points. (See also hither, thither, and

yon. Compare this with here and there.)

Fred searched here, there, and every-

where, frantically looking for the lost check.

She did not rest until she had been here,

there, and everywhere, shopping for just

the right gift.

Here you go. and There you go. Here is

what you asked for. (Informal.) “Here

you go,” said the waiter as he put the plate

on the table. There you go. Here is your

hamburger and your drink.

Here’s looking at you. Drink up. (A sim-

ple drinking toast.) Here’s look at you,

Tom. Thanks for the drink. Here’s look-

ing at you.

Here’s mud in your eye. Drink up! (A

simple and jocular drinking toast.)

Here’s mud in your eye, Tom. Thanks

for the drink. Here’s mud in your eye.

Here’s to someone or something. <an expres-

sion used as a toast to someone or some-

thing to wish someone or something

well.> Here’s to Jim and Mary! May

they be very happy! Here’s to your new

job!

hide-and-seek a guessing game where one

has to find something or figure out some-

thing that is concealed or disguised.

(Refers to a game where a person hides

and another person tries to find the hid-

den person.) I am tired of running up

against a game of hide-and-seek every

time I ask to see the financial records of

this company. I have been trying to see

the manager for two days. Where is she? I

refuse to play hide-and-seek any longer. I

want to see her now!

hide one’s face in shame to cover one’s

face because of shame or embarrassment.

Mary was so embarrassed. She could

only hide her face in shame. When Tom

broke Ann’s crystal vase, he wanted to hide

his face in shame.

hide one’s head in the sand Go to bury

one’s head in the sand.

hide one’s light under a bushel to conceal

one’s good ideas or talents. (A biblical

theme.) Jane has some good ideas, but

she doesn’t speak very often. She hides her

light under a bushel. Don’t hide your

light under a bushel. Share your gifts with

other people.

high and dry 1. safe; unbothered by diffi-

culties; unscathed. (Refers to being safe

from a flood.) While the riot was go-

ing on, I was high and dry in my apart-

ment.  Liz came out of the argument

high and dry. 2. abandoned; unsupported

and helpless. (See also leave someone high

and dry.) Everyone else on the commit-

tee quit, leaving me high and dry. The

company moved to Chicago, and I was left

high and dry in Dallas.

high-and-mighty self-important and arro-

gant. I don’t know why Albert is so high-

and-mighty. He’s no better than the rest

of us. The boss acts high-and-mighty

because he can fire us all.

high as a kite Go to (as) high as a kite.

high man on the totem pole the person

at the top of the hierarchy; the person in

charge of an organization. (Informal.

Compare this with low man on the totem

pole.) I don’t want to talk to a secretary.

I demand to talk to the high man on the

totem pole.  Who’s in charge around

here? Who’s high man on the totem pole?

highflier a person who is ambitious or who

is very likely to be successful. (Informal.)

Jack was one of the highfliers of our uni-

versity year, and he is now in the foreign

office. Tom is a highf lier and has ap-

plied for the post of managing director.

hightail it out of somewhere to run or ride

a horse away from somewhere fast.

(Folksy. Typically heard in western

movies.) Here comes the sheriff. We’d

better hightail it out of here. Look at

that guy go. He really hightailed it out of

town.

highways and byways [all the] roads; the

major and minor roads and routes. (Both

literal and figurative.) I hope I meet you

again some day on life’s highways and by-

ways. The city council voted to plant

new trees along all the highways and by-

ways of the town.

hinge on something to depend on some-

thing. This all hinges on how much risk

you’re willing to take. Whether we have

the picnic hinges on the weather.

hit a happy medium Go to strike a happy

medium.

hit-and-miss and hit-or-miss carelessly;

aimlessly; without plan or direction.

There was no planning. It was just hit-

and-miss. We handed out the free tick-

ets hit-or-miss. Some people got one; oth-

ers got five or six.

hit-and-run an accident where the driver

of a car strikes a person or another ve-

hicle and speeds away without admitting

to the deed or stopping to help. Fred

was injured in a hit-and-run accident.

The state passed a law making any kind

of hit-and-run accident a felony.

hit a plateau to reach a higher level of ac-

tivity, sales, production, output, etc., and

then stop and remain unchanged.

When my sales hit a plateau, my boss gave

me a pep talk. When production hit a

plateau, the company built a new factory.

hit a sour note Go to strike a sour note.

hit bottom to reach the lowest or worst

point. Our profits have hit bottom. This

is our worst year ever. When my life hit

bottom, I began to feel much better. I knew

that if there was going to be any change,

it would be for the better.

hit home and strike home to really make

sense; [for a comment] to make a very

good point. Mary’s criticism of my

clothes hit home, so I changed.  The

teacher’s comment struck home and the

student vowed to work harder.

hit it off (with someone) to quickly become

good friends with someone. Look how

John hit it off with Mary. Yes, they really

hit it off.

hit one close to home Go to hit one where

one lives.

hit one’s stride Go to reach one’s stride.

hit one where one lives and hit one close

to home to affect one personally and in-

timately. (Informal.) Her comments

really hit me where I live. Her words

seemed to apply directly to me. I listened

carefully and didn’t think she hit close to

home at all.

hit-or-miss Go to hit-and-miss.

hit pay dirt to discover something of value.

(Slang. Refers to discovering valuable

ore.) Sally tried a number of different

jobs until she hit pay dirt. I tried to bor-

row money from a lot of different people.

They all said no. Then when I went to the

bank, I hit pay dirt.

hit (someone) below the belt to do some-

thing unfair or unsporting to someone.

(Informal. From boxing, where a blow

below the belt line is not permitted.)

You really hit me below the belt when you

told the boss about my tax problems. In

business Bill is difficult to deal with. He

hits below the belt.

hit (someone) like a ton of bricks to sur-

prise, startle, or shock someone. (Also lit-

eral. Informal.) Suddenly, the truth hit

me like a ton of bricks. The sudden tax

increase hit like a ton of bricks. Everyone

became angry.

hit someone (right) between the eyes to

become completely apparent; to surprise

or impress someone. (Also literal. Infor-

mal.) Suddenly, it hit me right between

the eyes. John and Mary were in love.

Then—as he was talking—the exact na-

ture of the evil plan hit me between the

eyes.

hit someone up (for something) to ask some-

one for something. (Informal.) John hit

me up for a loan. T I told him to go hit

up someone else.

hit the books to begin to study; to study.

(Slang.) Well, time to hit the books.

John, if you don’t start hitting the books,

you’re going to fail.

hit the bottle to drink alcohol to excess.

(As if drinking directly from the bottle,

that is, taking a hit from the bottle.

Slang.) Fred goes home and hits the bot-

tle every night. Bill has been hitting the

bottle a lot lately. I think he has a problem.

hit the bricks to start walking; to go out

into the streets. (Slang.) If you want

to get a job, you had better get out there

and hit the bricks. I got fired today. The

boss came by and told me to hit the bricks.

hit the bull’s-eye to achieve a goal per-

fectly. (Refers to hitting the center of a

circular target. Informal.) Your idea

really hit the bull’s-eye. Thank you! Jill

has a lot of insight. She knows how to hit

the bull’s-eye in discussions.

hit the ceiling to become very angry. (Also

literal. Informal.) My father hit the ceil-

ing when I damaged the car. Our em-

ployer hit the ceiling when we lost an im-

portant contract.

hit the high spots to do only the impor-

tant, obvious, or good things. (Informal.)

I won’t discuss the entire report. I’ll just

hit the high spots. First, let me hit the

high spots; then I’ll tell you about

everything.

hit the jackpot 1. to win at gambling.

(Refers to the “jack” in playing cards.)

Bob hit the jackpot three times in one

night. I’ve never hit the jackpot even

once. 2. to have a success. I hit the jack-

pot on a business deal. I really hit the

jackpot in the library. I found just what I

needed.

hit the nail (right) on the head to do ex-

actly the right thing; to do something in

the most effective and efficient way; to

identify the exact nature of something.

(Also literal.) You’ve spotted the f law,

Sally. You hit the nail on the head. Bob

doesn’t say much, but every now and then

he hits the nail right on the head.

hit the road to depart; to begin one’s jour-

ney, especially on a road trip; to leave for

home. It’s time to hit the road. I’ll see

you. We have to hit the road very early

in the morning.

hit the sack Go to hit the hay.

hit the skids to decline; to decrease in

value. (Slang.) Business usually hits the

skids in the summer. Tom hit the skids

after he lost his job.

hit the spot to be exactly right; to be re-

freshing. (Informal.) This cool drink

really hits the spot. That was a delicious

meal, dear. It hit the spot.

hit (up)on something to discover or think up

something. (Informal.) Ann hit on the

idea of baking lots of bread and freezing it.

John hit upon a new way of planting

corn.

have-2

have one’s cake and eat it too and eat

one’s cake and have it too to enjoy both

having something and using it up; to have

it both ways. (Usually stated in the neg-

ative.) Tom wants to have his cake and

eat it too. It can’t be done. Don’t buy a

car if you want to walk and stay healthy.

You can’t eat your cake and have it too.

have one’s druthers to get one’s choice; to

be permitted to have one’s preference.

(Folksy. The druthers is from would

rather.) If I had my druthers, I’d go to

France.  Tom said that if he had his

druthers, he’d choose to stay home.

have one’s ear to the ground and keep

one’s ear to the ground to listen care-

fully, hoping to get advance warning of

something. (Refers to holding one’s ear

against the ground to listen for ap-

proaching horses or a train.) John had

his ear to the ground, hoping to find out

about new ideas in computers. His boss

told him to keep his ear to the ground so

that he’d be the first to know of a new idea.

have oneself something to select, use, or con-

sume something. (Folksy. Also with non-

reflexive pronouns, me, him, her, etc., as

in the last example.) He had himself a

two-hour nap. I’ll have myself one of

those red ones. I think I’ll have me a big,

cold drink.

have one’s feet on the ground Go to get

one’s feet on the ground.

have one’s finger in the pie Go to have a

finger in the pie.

have one’s finger in too may pies to be in-

volved in too many things; to have too

many tasks going to be able to do any of

them well. I’m too busy. I have my fin-

ger in too may pies. She never gets any-

thing done because she has her finger in too

many pies.

have one’s hand in the till to be stealing

money from a company or an organiza-

tion. (The till is a cash box or drawer.)

Mr. Jones had his hand in the till for

years before he was caught. I think that

the new clerk has her hand in the till.

There is cash missing every morning.

have one’s hands full (with someone or some-

thing) to be busy or totally occupied with

someone or something. (Literal when one

cannot hold anything else in one’s

hands.) I have my hands full with my

three children. You have your hands full

with the store. We both have our hands

full.

have one’s hands tied to be prevented from

doing something. (See also tie someone’s

hands.) I can’t help you. I was told not

to, so I have my hands tied. John can

help. He doesn’t have his hands tied.

have one’s head in the clouds to be un-

aware of what is going on. “Bob, do you

have your head in the clouds?” said the

teacher. She walks around all day with

her head in the clouds. She must be in love.

have one’s heart go out to someone to have

compassion for someone. I can’t have

my heart go out to everyone. To have

compassion is to have one’s heart go out

to those who are suffering.

have one’s heart in the right place to have

good intentions, even if there are bad re-

sults. (See also one’s heart is in the right

I don’t always do what is right,

but my heart is in the right place. Good

old Tom. His heart’s in the right place.

It doesn’t matter if she lost the game. She

has her heart in the right place.

have one’s heart on one’s sleeve Go to

wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve.

have one’s heart set against something to be

totally against something. (Also with

dead, as in the example. See also dead set

against someone or something; set one’s heart

against something.) Jane has her heart

dead set against going to Australia. John

has his heart set against going to college.

have one’s heart stand still <an expression

said when one’s heart (figuratively) stops

beating because one is feeling strong

emotions.> I had my heart stand still

once when I was overcome with joy.

Lovers—at least the ones in love songs—

usually have their hearts stand still.

have one’s luck run out for one’s good luck

to stop; for one’s good fortune to come to

an end. I had my luck run out when I

was in South America. I nearly starved.

I hate to have my luck run out just when

I need it.

have one’s nose in the air to be conceited

or aloof. (See also one’s nose is in the air.)

Mary always seems to have her nose in

the air. I wonder if she knows that she

has her nose in the air.

have one’s sights trained on something Go

to train one’s sights on something.

have one’s work cut out for one to have a

large and difficult task prepared for one.

(See also one’s work is cut out for one.)

They sure have their work cut out for them,

and it’s going to be hard. There is a lot

for Bob to do. He has his work cut out for

him.

have other fish to fry and have bigger

fish to fry; have more important fish

to fry to have other things to do; to have

more important things to do. I can’t

take time for your problem. I have other

fish to fry. I won’t waste time on your

question. I have bigger fish to fry.

have pull with someone to have influence

with someone. (Slang. Also with some,

much, lots, etc.) Let’s ask Ann to help

us. She has pull with the mayor. Do you

know anyone who has some pull with the

bank president? I need a loan.

have rocks in one’s head to be silly or

crazy. (Slang.) John is a real nut. He has

rocks in his head. I don’t have rocks in

my head—I’m just different.

have seen better days to be worn or worn

out. (Informal.) This coat has seen bet-

ter days. I need a new one. Oh, my old

legs ache. I’ve seen better days, but every-

one has to grow old.

have so Go to have too.

have someone in one’s pocket to have con-

trol over someone. (Informal.) Don’t

worry about the mayor. She’ll cooperate.

I’ve got her in my pocket. John will do

just what I tell him. I’ve got him and his

brother in my pocket.

have someone on the string to have some-

one waiting for your decision. (Informal.)

Sally has John on the string. He has

asked her to marry him, but she hasn’t

replied yet. Yes, it sounds like she has

him on the string.

have someone or something in one’s hands to

have control of or responsibility for

someone or something. You have the

whole project in your hands. The boss

put the whole project in your hands. I

have to leave the baby in your hands while

I go to the doctor.

have someone or something in tow to lead,

pull, or tow someone or something

around. Mrs. Smith has her son in tow.

That car has a boat in tow.

have someone or something on one’s hands to

be burdened with someone or some-

thing. I run a record store. I sometimes

have a large number of unwanted records

on my hands. She the all the children on

her hands today.

have someone or something on one’s mind to

think often about someone or something;

to be obsessed with someone or some-

thing. Bill has chocolate on his mind.

John has Mary on his mind every

minute.

have someone over to invite someone as a

guest to one’s house. When can we have

Aunt Jane over for dinner? I would love

to have you over some time.

have someone pegged as something Go to

peg someone as something.

have someone’s blood on one’s hands to be

responsible for someone’s death; to be

guilty of causing someone’s death. (Also

literal.) The teenager’s blood was on the

policeman’s hands. The king’s blood was

on the hands of the murderer who killed

him.

have someone’s hide to scold or punish

someone. (Refers to skinning an animal.

Informal. Compare this with skin someone

alive.) If you ever do that again, I’ll have

your hide. He said he’d have my hide if

I entered his garage again.

have something at hand Go to have something

at one’s fingertips.

have something at one’s fingertips and have

something at hand to have something

within (one’s) reach. (Have can be re-

placed with keep.) I have a dictionary

at my fingertips. I try to have everything

I need at hand. I keep my medicine at

my fingertips.

have something coming (to one) to deserve

punishment (for something). (Also lit-

eral. Informal.) Bill broke a window,

so he has a spanking coming to him.

That’s it, Bill. Now you’ve got it coming!

have something doing and have something

on to have plans for a particular time.

(Informal. Note the variation with any-

thing in the examples below.) BOB: Are

you busy Saturday night? BILL: Yes, I’ve

got something doing. I don’t have any-

thing doing Sunday night. I have some-

thing on almost every Saturday.

have something down pat to have learned or

memorized something perfectly. I have

practiced my speech until I have it down

pat. Tom has his part in the play down

pat. He won’t make any mistakes.

have something going (for oneself) [for

someone] to have a beneficial scheme or

operation going. (Informal.) John

really has something going for himself. He’s

a travel agent, and he gets to travel every-

where for free. I wish I could have some-

thing like that going.

have something going (with someone) 1. to

have a business deal with someone.

Sally has a new business project going with

Ann. They’ll announce a new product in

the spring. John and Tom work as stock-

brokers. I’ve heard that they have a busi-

ness deal going. 2. Go to have a thing go-

ing (with someone).

have something in common (with someone or

something) [for groups of people or things]

to resemble one another in specific ways.

Bill and Bob both have red hair. They

have that in common with each other.

Bob and Mary have a lot in common. I can

see why they like each other.

have something in hand to have something

in one’s hand or close by. (Compare this

with have something at hand.) I have

your letter of May tenth in hand. I have

my pen in hand, and I’m ready to write.

have something in mind to think of

something in particular; to have an idea

or image (of something) in one’s mind.

BILL: I would like to purchase some

boots. CLERK: Yes, sir. Did you have some-

thing in mind?  I have something in

mind, but I don’t see it here. Good day.

have something in stock to have merchan-

dise available and ready for sale. Do

you have extra large sizes in stock? Of

course, we have all sizes and colors in stock.

have something in store (for someone) to

have something planned for one’s future.

Tom has a large inheritance in store for

him when his uncle dies. I wish I had

something like that in store.

have something made 1. to hire someone to

make something. Isn’t it a lovely coat?

I had to have it made because I couldn’t

find one I liked in a store. We had the

cake made at the bakery. Our oven isn’t big

enough for a cake that size. 2. to have

achieved a successful state. (Slang. Usu-

ally with it.) Mary really has it made.

She inherited one million dollars. I wish

I had it made like that.

have something on Go to have something

doing.

have something on file to have a written

record of something in storage. I’m

sure I have your letter on file. I’ll check

again. We have your application on file

somewhere.

have something on the ball to have a par-

ticular amount of smartness or clever-

ness. (Slang.) Both John and Mary have

a lot on the ball. They should go far. I

think I’d do better in school if I had more

on the ball. I learn slowly.

have something on the brain to be obsessed

with something. (Slang.) Bob has cho-

colate on the brain. Mary has money

on the brain. She wants to earn as much as

possible.

have something on the tip of one’s tongue

to be on the verge of remembering a spe-

cific fact, such as someone’s name; to

have just forgotten a specific fact. (See

also on the tip of one’s tongue.) Just give

me a minute. I have her name on the tip

of my tongue! I had her name on the tip

of my tongue, but you made me forget it

when you called.

have something out (with someone) to settle

a disagreement or a complaint. (Infor-

mal.) John has been mad at Mary for a

week. He finally had it out with her today.

I’m glad we are having this out today.

have something stick in one’s craw to have

something irritate or displease someone.

(Folksy.) I don’t like to have Bill’s words

stick in my craw. He meant to have the

problem stick in my craw and upset me.

have something to do with something and

[not] have anything to do with some-

thing; have nothing to do with something

to be associated with or related to some-

thing. Does your dislike for Sally have

something to do with the way she insulted

you?  My illness has something to do

with my lungs.

have something to go Go to buy something to

go.

have something to spare to have more than

enough of something. (Informal. See also

and something to spare.) Ask John for

some firewood. He has firewood to spare.

Do you have any candy to spare?

have something up one’s sleeve to have

a secret or surprise plan or solution (to

a problem). (Slang. Refers to cheating at

cards by having a card hidden in one’s

sleeve.) I’ve got something up my sleeve,

and it should solve all your problems. I’ll

tell you what it is after I’m elected. The

manager has something up her sleeve.

She’ll surprise us with it later.

have the ball in one’s court to be respon-

sible for the next move in some process;

to have to make a response to something

that someone else has started. (Also lit-

eral.) You have the ball in your court

now. You have to answer the attorney’s

questions. There was no way that Liz

could avoid acting. She had the ball in her

court.

have the best of both worlds to be in a

situation where one can enjoy two dif-

ferent opportunities. When Donna was

a fellow at the university, she had the priv-

ileges of a professor and the freedom of a

student. She definitely had the best of both

worlds. Don hated to have to choose be-

tween retirement and continuing working.

He wanted to do both so he could have the

best of both worlds.

have the cards stacked against one and

have the deck stacked against one to

have one’s chance at future success lim-

ited by factors over which one has no

control; to have luck against one. You

can’t get very far in life if you have the deck

stacked against you. I can’t seem to get

ahead. I always have the cards stacked

against

have the courage of one’s convictions to

have enough courage and determination

to carry out one’s goals. It’s fine to have

noble goals in life and to believe in great

things. If you don’t have the courage of

your convictions, you’ll never reach your

goals. Jane was successful because she

had the courage of her convictions.

have the deck stacked against one Go to

have the cards stacked against one.

have the gall to do something to have suffi-

cient arrogance to do something. I bet

you don’t have the gall to argue with the

mayor. Only Jane has the gall to ask the

boss for a second raise this month.

have the gift of gab to have a great facil-

ity with language; to be able to use lan-

guage very effectively. (Slang.) My

brother really has the gift of gab. He can

convince anyone of anything. If I had

the gift of gab like you do, I’d achieve more

in life.

have the makings of something to possess

the qualities that are needed for some-

thing. The young boy had the makings

of a fine baseball player. My boss has all

the makings of a prison warden.

have the Midas touch to have the ability

to be successful, especially the ability to

make money easily. (From the name of

a legendary king whose touch turned

everything to gold.) Bob is a merchant

banker and really has the Midas touch.

The poverty-stricken boy turned out to

have the Midas touch and was a million-

aire by the time he was twenty-five.

have them rolling in the aisles to make

an audience roll in the aisles with laugh-

ter. (Slang.) I have the best jokes you’ve

ever heard. I’ll have them rolling in the

aisles. What a great performance. We

had them rolling in the aisles.

have the patience of a saint to be very

patient. (Refers to the “patience” that

someone experiencing martyrdom might

I don’t know how she puts up

with all those stupid questions. She has the

patience of a saint. Hurry up, please. I

am late and you are working too slow. I

don’t have the patience of a saint.

have the presence of mind to do something

to have the calmness and the ability to act

sensibly in an emergency or difficult sit-

uation. Jane had the presence of mind

to phone the police when the child disap-

peared. The child had the presence of

mind to take note of the car’s license

number.

have the right-of-way to possess the le-

gal right to occupy a particular space on

a public roadway. (See also yield the right-

of-way.) I had a traffic accident yester-

day, but it wasn’t my fault. I had the right-

of-way. Don’t pull out onto a highway

if you don’t have the right-of-way.

have the right to do something Go to have

a right to do something.

have the shoe on the other foot to ex-

perience the opposite situation (from a

previous situation). (Informal. Also with

be instead of have. See the examples. See

the proverb The shoe is on the other foot.

Compare this with in someone else’s

shoes.) I used to be a student, and now

I’m the teacher. Now I have the shoe on the

other foot. You were mean to me when

you thought I was cheating. Now that I

have caught you cheating, the shoe is on

the other foot.

have the time of one’s life to have a very

good time; to have the most exciting time

in one’s life. What a great party! I had

the time of my life. We went to Florida

last winter and had the time of our lives.

have the wherewithal (to do something) to

have the means to do something, espe-

cially energy or money. He has good

ideas, but he doesn’t have the wherewithal

to carry them out. I could do a lot if only

I had the wherewithal.

have to do with someone or something to be

associated with or related to someone or

something. This information only has

to do with people who came in late. My

illness has to do with my stomach.

have to live with something to have to en-

dure something. (See also learn to live

with something.) I have a slight limp in

the leg that I broke last year. The doctor

says I’ll have to live with it. We don’t like

the new carpeting in the living room, but

we’ll have to live with it.

have too and have so to have done some-

thing (despite anything to the contrary).

(This is an emphatic way of affirming

that something has happened.) BILL:

You haven’t made your bed. BOB: I have

too! I have so turned in my paper! If you

don’t have it, you lost it!

have too many irons in the fire to be do-

ing too many things at once. Tom had

too many irons in the fire and missed some

important deadlines. It’s better if you

don’t have too many irons in the fire.

have turned the corner to have passed a

critical point in a process. (Also literal.)

The patient has turned the corner. She

should begin to show improvement now.

The project has turned the corner. The rest

should be easy.

have two strikes against one to have sev-

eral things against one; to be in a posi-

tion where success is unlikely. Poor Bob

had two strikes against him when he tried

to explain where he was last night. I

can’t win. I have two strikes against me be-

fore I start.

have what it takes to have the ability,

courage, or stamina (to do something).

Bill has what it takes. He can swim for

miles. Tom won’t succeed. He doesn’t

have what it takes.

Have you been keeping busy? <a vague

greeting inquiry asking about how some-

one has been occupied.> (Really just a

way to say hello and open a conversa-

tion.) How are you? Have you been

keeping busy? What’ve you been doing?

Have you been keeping busy?

hazard a guess to make a guess. Even

if you don’t know, please hazard a guess.

If you don’t know the answer, hazard a

guess.

hazard an opinion to give an opinion.

Anne asked the attorney to hazard an

opinion about the strength of her lawsuit.

Don’t feel like you have to hazard an

opinion on something you know nothing

about.

He laughs best who laughs last Go to He

who laughs last, laughs longest.

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

The person who is paying for something

has control over how the money is used.

(Proverb.) Fred’s father is paying his

way through college, and wants to help

him choose his courses. He says that he

who pays the piper calls the tune. The

bride’s parents should have a say in where

the wedding is held since they’re paying for

it. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

have-1

have a nose for something to have the tal-

ent for finding something. Police dogs

have a good nose for drugs. The reporter

has a nose for news.

have an out to have an excuse; to have a

means of avoiding something. (Refers to

a way out or means of escape. Informal.

The out is a noun.) He’s very clever. No

matter what happens, he always has an

out. I agreed to go to a party that I don’t

want to go to now. I’m looking for an out.

have a one-track mind to have a mind

that thinks entirely or almost entirely

about one subject, often sex. Adoles-

cent boys often have one-track minds. All

they’re interested in is the opposite sex.

Bob has a one-track mind. He can only talk

about football.

have a passion for someone or something to

have a strong feeling of need or desire for

someone, something, or some activity.

Mary has a great passion for chocolate.

John has a passion for fishing, so he fishes

as often as he can.

have a peep and take a peep to look

quickly, sometimes through a small hole.

Have a peep into the refrigerator and see

if we need any milk. I took a peep at

the comet through the telescope.

have a penchant for doing something to have

a taste, desire, or inclination for doing

something. John has a penchant for eat-

ing fattening foods. Ann has a penchant

for buying clothes.

have a pick-me-up to eat or drink some-

thing stimulating. (The have can be re-

placed with need, want, etc. The me does

not change.) I’d like to have a pick-me-

up. I think I’ll have a bottle of pop. You

look tired. You need a pick-me-up.

have a price on one’s head to be wanted

by the authorities, who have offered a re-

ward for one’s capture. (Informal or

folksy. Usually limited to western and

gangster movies.) We captured a thief

who had a price on his head, and the sher-

iff gave us the reward. The crook was

so mean, he turned in his own brother,

who had a price on his head.

have a right to do something and have the

right to do something to have the freedom

to do something; to possess legal or

moral permission or license to do some-

thing. You don’t have the right to enter

my home without my permission. I have

a right to grow anything I want on my

farmland.

have a rough time (of it) to experience a

difficult period. Since his wife died, Mr.

Brown has been having a rough time of it.

Be nice to Bob. He’s been having a rough

time.

have arrived to reach a position of power,

authority, or prominence. Jane saw her

picture on the cover of the magazine and

felt that she had finally arrived. When

I got an office with a window, I knew that

I had arrived.

have a run-in with someone to have an un-

pleasant and troublesome encounter with

someone. I had a run-in with Anne at

the party, so I left early. David had a

small run-in with the law last night.

have a run of bad luck to have bad luck

repeatedly; to have bad things happen a

number of times. I have had a run of

bad luck, and I have no more money to

spend. The company had a run of bad

luck over the last few years.

have a run of something to have a continu-

ous series of events. The city had a run

of serious crimes that angered the citizens.

We had a run of very hot days last July.

have a say (in something) Go to have a voice

(in something).

have a score to settle (with someone) to

have a problem to clear up with someone;

to have to get even with someone about

something. (See also settle a score with

someone.) I have a score to settle with

John. John and I have a score to settle.

have a scrape (with someone or something)

to come into contact with someone or

something; to have a small battle with

someone or something. (Compare this

with have a brush with something.) I had

a scrape with the county sheriff. John

and Bill had a scrape, but they are friends

again now.

have a screw loose to act silly or crazy.

(Slang.) John is such a clown. He acts as

if he has a screw loose. What’s the mat-

ter with you? Do you have a screw loose

or something?

have a shot at something Go to have a try

at something.

have a smoke to smoke a cigarette, cigar,

or pipe. (The have can be replaced with

need, want, etc.) Can I have a smoke?

I’m very nervous. Do you have a ciga-

rette? I need a smoke.

have a snowball’s chance in hell to have

no chance at all; to have a chance no

greater than that of a snowball in hell. (A

snowball would melt in hell and have no

chance of surviving. Use caution with

hell.) He has a snowball’s chance in hell

of passing the test.  You don’t have a

snowball’s chance in hell of her agreeing to

marry you.

have a soft spot in one’s heart for some-

one or something to be fond of someone or

something. John has a soft spot in his

heart for Mary. I have a soft spot in my

heart for chocolate cake.

have a spaz to get angry or hysterical; to

have a conniption (fit). (Slang.)

Bob. Don’t have a spaz. My father had

a spaz when I came in late last night.

have a stroke to experience sudden un-

consciousness or paralysis due to an in-

terruption in the blood supply to the

brain. (Also used as an exaggeration. See

the last two examples below.) The pa-

tient who received an artificial heart had

a stroke two days after the operation.

My great-uncle Bill—who is very old—

had a stroke last May. Calm down, Bob.

You’re going to have a stroke. My father

almost had a stroke when I came home at

three o’clock this morning.

have a sweet tooth to desire to eat many

sweet foods—especially candy and pas-

tries. I have a sweet tooth, and if I don’t

watch it, I’ll really get fat.  John eats

candy all the time. He must have a sweet

tooth.

have a taste for something a desire for a par-

ticular food, drink, or experience. The

Smiths have a taste for adventure and take

exotic vacations. When she was preg-

nant, Mary often had a taste for pickles.

have a thing going (with someone) and

have something going (with someone) to

have a romance or a love affair with

someone. (Informal.) John and Mary

have a thing going. Bill has a thing go-

ing with Ann.  They have something

going.

have a try at something and have a shot at

something; have a crack at something to

take a turn at trying to do something.

(The expressions with shot and crack are

more colloquial than the main entry

phrase. See also the variants at take a try

at something.) You don’t seem to be hav-

ing a lot of luck with this. Can I have a

try at it? Let Sally have a shot at it.

If you let me have a crack at it, maybe I

can be successful.

have at someone or something Go to get at

someone or something.

have a way with someone or something to

handle or deal well with someone or

something. John has a way with ham-

burger. It’s always delicious. Mother has

a way with Father. She’ll get him to paint

the house.

have a weakness for someone or something

to be unable to resist someone or some-

thing; to be fond of someone or some-

thing; to be (figuratively) powerless

against someone or something. (Com-

pare this with have a soft spot in one’s

heart for someone or something.) I have a

weakness for chocolate. John has a weak-

ness for Mary. I think he’s in love.

have a whale of a time to have an excit-

ing time; to have a big time. (Slang.

Whale is a way of saying big.) We had

a whale of a time at Sally’s birthday party.

Enjoy your vacation! I hope you have a

whale of a time.

have a word with someone to speak to

someone, usually privately. The man-

ager asked to have a word with me when

I was not busy. John, could I have a word

with you? We need to discuss something.

have back at someone Go to get back (at

someone).

have bats in one’s belfry to be slightly

crazy. Poor old Tom has bats in his bel-

fry. Don’t act so silly, John. People will

think you have bats in your belfry.

have bearing on something to apply to

something; to affect or influence some-

thing. The worker’s opinion has no

bearing on the boss’s decision. Does this

information have any bearing on the

question?

have been through the mill have been

badly treated; have become exhausted.

(Informal.) This has been a rough day.

I’ve really been through the mill. This

old car is banged up, and it hardly runs.

It’s been through the mill.

have been to hell and back to have sur-

vived a great deal of trouble. What a

terrible day! I feel like I have been to hell

and back. After a day of shopping, I feel

like I have been to hell and back.

have bigger fish to fry Go to have other

fish to fry.

have broad shoulders to have the ability

to take on unpleasant responsibilities; to

have the ability to accept criticism or re-

buke. (Refers to the apparent strength of

broad shoulders to support a heavy bur-

den.) No need to apologize to me. I can

take it. I have broad shoulders. Karen

may have broad shoulders, but she can’t

endure endless criticism.

have clean hands to be guiltless. (Refers

to the blood on the hands of a murderer.)

Don’t look at me. I have clean hands.

The police took him in, but let him go

again because he had clean hands.

have cold feet Go to get cold feet.

have come a long way to have accom-

plished much; to have advanced much.

(Also literal.) My, how famous you are.

You’ve come a long way. Tom has come

a long way in a short time.

have contact with someone a link to some-

one resulting in communication. (Also

literal.) I have had no contact with Bill

since he left town. Tom had contact with

a known criminal last month.

have designs on someone or something to

have plans for someone or something.

Mrs. Brown has designs on my apple tree.

I think she’s going to cut off the part that

hangs over her fence. Mary has designs

on Bill. I think she’ll try to date him.

have dibs on something to reserve some-

thing for oneself; to claim something for

oneself. (Informal. See also put (one’s)

dibs on something.) I have dibs on the last

piece of cake. John has dibs on the last

piece again. It isn’t fair.

have eyes bigger than one’s stomach to

have a desire for more food than one

could possibly eat. (See also one’s eyes are

bigger then one’s stomach.) I know I

have eyes bigger than my stomach, so I

won’t take a lot of food. Todd has eyes

bigger than his stomach.

have eyes in the back of one’s head to

seem to be able to sense what is going on

outside of one’s vision. My teacher

seems to have eyes in the back of her head.

My teacher doesn’t need to have eyes in

the back of his head. He watches us very

carefully.

have feet of clay [for a strong person] to

have a defect of character. All human

beings have feet of clay. No one is perfect.

Sally was popular and successful. She

was nearly fifty before she learned that she,

too, had feet of clay.

have growing pains 1. [for a child] to

have pains—which are attributed to

growth—in the muscles and joints.

The doctor said that all Mary had were

growing pains and that nothing was really

wrong. Not everyone has growing pains.

2. [for an organization] to have difficul-

ties in its growth. The banker apolo-

gized for losing my check and said the bank

was having growing pains.  Govern-

ments have terrible growing pains.

have had its day to be no longer useful or

successful. Streetcars have had their day

in most American cities. Some people

think that radio has had its day, but oth-

ers prefer it to television.

have had it (up to here) to have reached

the end of one’s endurance or tolerance.

(Informal.) Okay, I’ve had it. You kids

go to bed this instant. We’ve all had it

with you, John. Get out! I’ve had it. I’ve

got to go to bed before I drop dead. Tom

is disgusted. He said that he has had it up

to here.

have half a mind to do something Go to

have half a notion to do something.

have half a notion to do something and

have half a mind to do something to have

almost decided to do something, espe-

cially something unpleasant. (Informal.)

I have half a mind to go off and leave

you here. The cook had half a notion to

serve cold chicken.

have hell to pay Go to have the devil to

Have I made myself clear? Do you un-

derstand exactly what I am telling you?

(Indicates anger or dominance.) I don’t

intend to warn you again. Have I made

myself clear? I do not want you to go

there! Have I made myself clear?

have it all over someone or something to be

much better than someone or something.

This cake has it all over that one. My

car has it all over yours. Sally can really

run. She has it all over Bill.

have it both ways to have both of two in-

compatible things. (Also literal. See also

have one’s cake and eat it too.) John

wants the security of marriage and the

freedom of being single. He wants to have

it both ways. John thinks he can have it

both ways—the wisdom of age and the

vigor of youth.

have it in for someone to have something

against someone; to plan to scold or pun-

ish someone. Don’t go near Bob. He has

it in for you. Billy! You had better go

home. Your mom really has it in for you.

have method in one’s madness to have a

purpose in what one is doing, even

though it seems to be mad. What I’m

doing may look strange, but there is

method in my madness. Wait until she

finishes; then you’ll see that there is

method in her madness.

have mixed feelings (about someone or

something) to be uncertain about someone

or something. I have mixed feelings

about Bob. Sometimes I think he likes me;

other times I don’t. I have mixed feel-

ings about my trip to England. I love the

people, but the climate upsets me. Yes,

I also have mixed feelings.

have money to burn to have lots of

money; to have more money than one

needs. (See also Money burns a hole in

someone’s pocket.) Look at the way Tom

buys things. You’d think he had money to

burn. If I had money to burn, I’d just

put it in the bank.

have more important fish to fry Go to

have other fish to fry.

(have) never had it so good have never

had so much good fortune. (Informal.)

No, I’m not complaining. I’ve never had

it so good. Mary is pleased with her new

job. She’s never had it so good.

have no business doing something to be

wrong to do something; to be extremely

unwise to do something. You have no

business bursting in on me like that! You

have no business spending money like that!

have none of something to tolerate or en-

dure no amount of something. I’ll have

none of your talk about quitting school.

We’ll have none of your gossip. I wish

to have none of the sweet potatoes, please.

have no staying power to lack endurance;

not to be able to last. Sally can swim

fast for a short distance, but she has no

staying power. That horse can race fairly

well, but it has no staying power.

have nothing on someone or something 1.

[with someone] to lack evidence against

someone. (Informal.) The police had

nothing on Bob, so they let him loose.

You’ve got nothing on me! Let me go! 2.

to have no information about someone or

something. The dictionary had nothing

on the word I looked up. The librarian

said that the library has nothing on the

Jones brothers.

have nothing to do with someone or some-

thing 1. not to be related to or concerned

with someone or something. Your

wants and needs have nothing to do with

my wants and needs. Waterloo? That

has nothing to do with water! 2. to avoid

being associated with someone or some-

thing. She will have nothing to do with

me anymore. I have nothing to do with

computers after I found out how hard they

are to operate.

have one foot in the grave to be near

death, either because of old age or be-

cause of illness. Fred’s uncle is ninety.

He has one foot in the grave and may not

live another two months. Terry has one

foot in the grave and will perish unless he

receives treatment soon.

have one for the road to have a drink just

before leaving. I think I’ll have one for

the road, bartender. Forget having one

for the road if you are driving.

have one’s back to the wall to be in a de-

fensive position. (Informal. See also push

someone to the wall.) He’ll have to give

in. He has his back to the wall. How can

I bargain when I’ve got my back to the

wall?