[hate one’s guts]{v. phr.}, {slang} To feel a very strong dislike for someone. •/Dick said that he hated Fred’s guts because Fred had been very mean to him./
[hats off to] or [one’s hat is off to] {truncated phr.}, {informal} Used to recognize and praise a job well-done. •/Hats off to anyone who runs the twenty-six mile race./ •/My hat is off to the chef who created this delicious meal./ Compare: TAKE OFF ONE’S HAT TO.
[hatter] See: MAD AS A HATTER.
[haul] See: LONG HAUL.
[haul down]{v.}, {informal} 1. To catch (as a ball) usually after a long run. •/Willie hauled down a long fly to center field for the third out./ •/The star halfback hauled down the pass for a touchdown./ 2. To tackle in football. •/Ted was hauled down from behind when he tried to run with the ball./
[haul down one’s colors] or [strike one’s colors] {v. phr.} 1. To pull down a flag, showing you are beaten and want to stop fighting. •/After a long battle, the pirate captain hauled down his colors./ 2. To admit you are beaten; say you want to quit. •/After losing two sets of tennis, Tom hauled down his color./
[haul in] or [haul up] or [pull in] {v.}, {slang} To bring before someone in charge for punishment or questioning; arrest. •/John was hauled in to court for speeding./ •/The tramp was hauled up for sleeping on the sidewalk./ Compare: CALL ON THE CARPET.
[haul in one’s horns] See: PULL IN ONE’S HORNS.
[haul off]{v.} To move suddenly. — Used with "and" usually before a verb like "hit" or "kick". •/Ed hauled off and hit the other boy in the nose./ •/Lee hauled off and threw a touchdown pass./
[haul over the coals] or [rake over the coals] {v. phr.} To criticize sharply; rebuke; scold. •/The sergeant raked the soldier over the coals for being late for roll call./ Syn.: DRESS DOWN.
[have] See: CAT HAS NINE LIVES, ONE’S CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO, EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING, EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY, HAVE NOTHING ON or HAVE ANYTHING ON, LITTLE PITCHERS HAVE BIG EARS, or an important word after this in the sentence.
[have] or [get] or [develop a crush on] {v. phr.} To be infatuated with someone. •/Walter has a terrible crush on his English teacher, but she is a lot older and doesn’t take it seriously./
[have a ball]{v. phr.}, {slang} Enjoy yourself very much; have a wonderful time. •/Johnny had a ball at camp./ •/Mary and Tim have a ball exploring the town./ •/After their parents left, the children had a ball./ Syn.: HAVE A TIME(2).
[have a bone to pick] See: BONE TO PICK.
[have a care]{v. phr.}, {formal} To be careful what you do. •/Jane, have a care what you’re doing with that valuable glass./ •/The judge told him to have a care what he said in court./
[have a field day]{v. phr.} To enjoy great success or unlimited opportunity. •/The visiting basketball team was so weak that our school had a field day scoring one point after another./
[have a finger in the pie] See: FINGER IN THE PIE.
[have a fit] or [have fits] or [throw a fit] {v. phr.} 1. To have a sudden illness with stiffness or jerking of the body. •/Our dog had a fit yesterday./ 2. {informal} To become angry or upset. •/Father will throw a fit when he sees the dent in the car./ •/Howard will have a fit when he learns that he lost the election./ •/When John decided to drop out of college, his parents had fits./
[have a go at]{v. phr.}, {informal} To try, especially after others have tried. •/Bob asked Dick to let him have a go at shooting at the target with Dick’s rifle./ •/She had a go at archery, but did not do very well./
[have a good head on one’s shoulders]{v. phr.} To be smart; intelligent; well educated. •/Rob is not the handsomest guy in the world but the girls appreciate him because he has a good head on his shoulders./
[have a (good) head for]{v. phr.} To have a special talent in a certain area. •/Joan has quite a good head for business administration./
[have a (good) mind to]{v. phr.} To consider doing; intend to with a high degree of probability. •/I have a good mind to tell my boss that he doesn’t know how to run our enterprise./
[have a hand in]{v. phr.} To have a part in or influence over; to be partly responsible for. •/Sue’s schoolmates respect her and she has a hand in every important decision made by the Student Council./ •/Ben had a hand in getting ready the Senior play./ Compare: FINGER IN THE PIE.
[have a heart]{v. phr.}, {informal} To stop being mean; be kind, generous, or sympathetic. •/Have a heart, Bob, and lend me two dollars./ •/Have a heart, Mary, and help me with this lesson./ •/He didn’t know if the teacher would have a heart and pass him./
[have a heart-to-heart talk]{v. phr.} To confide in someone with great intimacy. •/Jill and her mother had a heart-to-heart talk before she decided to move in with Andrew./
[have all one’s buttons] or [have all one’s marbles] {v. phr.}, {slang} To have all your understanding; be reasonable. — Usually used in the negative or conditionally. •/Mike acts sometimes as if he didn’t have all his buttons./ •/He would not go to town barefooted if he had all his marbles./
[have a mind of one’s own]{v. phr.} To be independent in one’s thinking and judgment. •/Tow has always had a mind of his own so there is no use trying to convince him how to vote./
[have an affair with]{v. phr.} To have a sexual relationship with someone, either before marriage or outside of one’s marriage. •/Tow and Jane had a long and complex affair but they never got married./
[have an ear for]{v. phr.} To have a keen perception; have a taste or a talent for; be sensitive to something. •/I have no ear whatsoever for foreign languages or music./
[have an ear to the ground] See: EAR TO THE GROUND.
[have an edge on]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To have an advantage over someone or something else in the course of an evaluative comparison. •/I can’t beat you at tennis, but I have an edge on you in ping-pong./ 2. To be mildly intoxicated; to have had a few drinks. •/Joe sure had an edge on when I saw him last night./ Compare: EDGE ON.
[have an eye for]{v. phr.} To be able to judge correctly of; have good taste in. •/She has an eye for color and style in clothes./ •/He has an eye for good English usage./
[have an eye on] or [have one’s eye on] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To look at or think about (something wanted); have a wish for; have as an aim. •/I bought ice cream, but Jimmy had his eye on some candy./ •/John has his eye on a scholarship so he can go to college./ Compare: IN MIND. 2. See: KEEP AN EYE ON(1).
[have an eye out] See: EYE OUT.
[have an eye] to See: EYE TO.
[have an itch for] or [to do] See: BE ITCHING TO.
[have a nodding acquaintance with] See: NODDING ACQUAINTANCE.
[have a price on one’s head] See: PRICE ON ONE’S HEAD.
[have a rough idea about] See: ROUGH IDEA.
[have a say in] or [a voice in] {v. phr.} To have the right to express one’s opinion or cast a vote in a pending matter. •/Our boss is friendly and democratic; he always encourages us to have a say in what we will do next./
[have a screw loose]{v. phr.}, {slang} To act in a strange way; to be foolish. •/Now I know he has a screw loose — he stole a police car this time./ •/He was a smart man but had a screw loose and people thought him odd./
[have a snowball’s chance in hell]{v. phr.} To be condemned to failure; enjoy a zero chance of success. •/Pessimists used to think that we had a snowball’s chance in hell to put a man on the moon; yet we did it in July, 1969./
[have a soft spot in one’s heart for]{v. phr.} To be sympathetically inclined towards; entertain a predilection for. •/Ron always had a soft spot in his heart for intellectual women wearing miniskirts./
[have a sweet tooth]{v. phr.} To be excessively fond of dessert items, such as ice cream, pies, etc. •/Jill has a sweet tooth; she always orders apple pie after a meal in a restaurant./
[have a time]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To have trouble; have a hard time. •/Poor Susan had a time trying to get the children to go to bed./ •/John had a time passing his math course./ 2. To have a good time; to have fun. — Used with a reflexive pronoun. •/Bob had himself a time going to every night club in town./ •/Mary had herself a time dancing at the party./ Syn.: HAVE A BALL.
[have a way with]{v. phr.} To be able to lead, persuade, or influence. •/Dave has such a way with the campers that they do everything he tells them to do./ •/Ted will be a good veterinarian, because he has a way with animals./
[have a word with]{v. phr.} 1. To talk, discuss, or speak briefly with. •/Robert, I need to have a word with you about tomorrow’s exam./ 2. To engage in a sincere discussion with the purpose of persuading the other person or let him or her know of one’s dissatisfaction. •/Our boss has been making funny decisions lately; I think we ought to have a word with him./
[have been around]{v. phr.}, {informal} Have been to many places and done many things; know people; have experience and be able to take care of yourself. •/Uncle Willie is an old sailor and has really been around./ •/Betty likes to go out with Jerry, because he has been around./ •/It’s not easy to fool him; he’s been around./ Compare: GET AROUND, KNOW ONE’S WAY AROUND.
[have dibs on] or [put dibs on] {v. phr.}, {slang} To demand a share of something or to be in line for the use of an object usable by more than one person. •/Don’t throw your magazine away! I put (my) dibs on it, remember?/
[have done]{v.}, {formal} To stop; finish. •/When the teacher had done, she asked for questions from the class./ •/If you have done, I will explain the matter./
[have done with]{v.} To stop doing or using something. •/When you have done with that paintbrush, Barbara, I would like to use it. * /I wish you would have done with your criticisms./
[have eyes only for]{v. phr.} To see or want nothing else but; give all your attention to; be interested only in. •/Of all the horses in the show, John had eyes only for the big white one./ •/All the girls liked Fred, but he had eyes only for Helen./
[have fits] See: HAVE A FIT.
[have got to]{v. phr.} Must; be in great need to do something; be obliged to. •/I am sorry but we have got to leave, otherwise, we’ll miss the last train./
[have had it]{v. phr.}, {slang} To have experienced or suffered all you can; to have come to the end of your patience or life. •/"I’ve had it," said Lou, "I’m resigning from the job of chairman right now."/ •/When the doctor examined the man who had been shot, he said, "He’s had it."/
[have hair]{v. phr.}, {slang} To possess courage, fortitude, guts, sex-appeal. •/I like him, he’s got a lot of hair./
[have] or [hold the whip over] {v. phr.} To control; dominate. •/Eugene has always held the whip over his younger brothers and sisters./
[have in mind]{v. phr.} To plan; intend; select. •/We don’t know whom our boss has in mind for the new position./
[have in one’s hair] See: IN ONE’S HAIR.
