Commonly used english part 33 pps

321

have one`s feet on the ground

- be practical or sensible
The new sales manager really has his feet on the ground.

have one's finger in too many pies

- be involved in too many things
The woman has her finger in too many pies and is unable to do her work well.

have one's hand in the till

- be stealing money from a company or organization
The man had his hand in the till for many years before he was caught.

have one's hands full with (someone or something)

- be totally occupied with someone or something
The mother has her hands full with the two young children.

have one's hands tied

- be prevented from doing something
I had my hands tied and was unable to help my friend with his request.

have one's head in the clouds

- be unaware of what is going on

The boy has his head in the clouds and doesn't think about what is going on around
him.

have one's heart go out to someone

- have compassion for someone
We had our heart go out to the woman who lost her child in the fire.


322

have one's heart in the right place

- have good intentions (even if the results may be bad)
The woman has her heart in the right place and is always ready to help if she can.

have one's heart set against (something)

- be totally against something
My father has his heart set against my trip to Europe.

have one`s heart set on (something)

- want something very much
The child has his heart set on getting a new bicycle for his birthday.

have one's nose in a book

- be reading a book
The boy loves reading and always has his nose in a book.

have one's nose in the air

- be conceited or aloof
The girl has her nose in the air and is unfriendly to the other members of her class.

have one's work cut out for one

- have a large and difficult task to do
We had our work cut out for us when we began to paint the house.

have oneself something

- use or consume something
I decided to have myself a drink before leaving for the movie.


323

have other fish to fry

- have other or more important things to do
I have other fish to fry and do not want to get involved with the small problems in my
company.

have pull with (someone)

- have influence with someone
My friend has pull with his boss and often goes home early.

have rocks in one`s head

- be stupid, not have good judgement
She has rocks in her head. She should never have bought that old car.

have second thoughts about (someone or something)

- have doubts about someone or something
Recently, I am having second thoughts about buying a new motorcycle.

have seen better days

- be worn out or well-used
My bicycle has seen better days and soon I will need to buy a new one.

have (someone) in one's pocket

- have control over someone
The large union has the city mayor in their pocket.

have (someone or something) in tow

- lead/pull/tow someone or something
The boy had his brother in tow as he walked down the street.


324

have (someone) over

- invite someone to your house
We plan to have my parents over when we settle into our new house.

have (someone's) blood on one's hands

- be responsible for someone's death
The army general has the citizen's blood on his hands.

have (someone's) hide

- scold or punish someone
The mother promised to have her son's hide if he didn't behave.

have (something) against (someone or something)

- have a dislike for someone or something
I don't know why but my teacher seems to have something against me.

have (something) at one's fingertips

- have something within reach
I didn't have a pen at my fingertips so I couldn't write down the man's address.

have (something) coming to (someone)

- deserve punishment for something
The girl has the punishment coming to her because of what she did.

have (something) down pat

- have learned or memorized something perfectly
I have the dance routine down pat.


325

have (something) going for one

- have ability/talent/good looks
She has a lot going for her and I am sure that she will get the new job.

have (something) hanging over one's head

- have something worrying one
I want to finish my final essay so I don't have it hanging over my head.

have (something) in common with (someone or something)

- resemble each other in specific ways, have similar interests to someone
I have much in common with a girl in my class.

have (something) in mind

- have a plan or idea in one's mind
I don't know what my friend has in mind so I will ask him later.

have (something) in stock

- have goods available to sell
The store does not have any CD players in stock.

have (something) in store for (someone)

- have something planned for someone
I don't know what my boss has in store for me.

have (something) on

- have plans for a particular time
I have something on this afternoon so I can't go to the park.


326

have (something) on file

- have or keep a written record of something
I have the report on file on my computer disc.

have (something) on (someone)

- have information or proof that someone did something wrong
I think that the police have something on the man and that is why he wants to quit his
job.

have (something) on the ball

- be smart/clever/skilled
She really has a lot on the ball. She should do well in her new job.

have (something) on the brain

- be obsessed with something
My sister has tennis on the brain and is always talking about it.

have (something) on the tip of one's tongue

- be almost able to remember a specific fact such as a name or place
I have the actor's name on the tip of my tongue but I can't remember it.

have (something) stuck in one's craw

- have something irritate or displease someone
The man's complaint stuck in my craw for several weeks before I forgot it.








327

have (something) to do with (something)

- to be about something, to be on the subject of something, to be related to something
"The book has something to do with cooking but I am not sure if you will like it."
That problem has nothing to do with me.

have (something) to spare

- have more than enough of something
We have extra blankets to spare so we gave them to our neighbors.

have (something) up one`s sleeve

- have something kept secretly ready for the right time
I`m not too worried about the meeting as I have something up my sleeve if there are
any problems.

have sticky fingers

- to steal things
He was fired from the restaurant because he has sticky fingers.

have the best of both worlds

- be able to enjoy two different opportunities
The man has the best of both worlds and can enjoy the outdoors and nature while he is
working at his job.

have the courage of one's convictions

- have enough courage and determination to carry out one's goals
The man has the courage of his convictions and will only do what he feels is right.

328

have the devil to pay

- have a great deal of trouble
I will have the devil to pay if I don't return home before dark.

have the feel of (something)

- have learned how something feels, be accustomed to something
As soon as I had the feel of the airplane, the instructor let me fly it.

have the gall to (do something)

- be arrogant enough to do something
The woman had the gall to ask me to stop talking after she had been talking loudly for
an hour.

have the gift of the gab

- be able to talk and use language easily
My sister has the gift of the gab and is able to talk to others easily.

have the last laugh

- make someone seem foolish for having laughed at you first
I had the last laugh when I went home early while everyone else had to stay overnight
at the airport because of the storm.

have the makings of (something)

- possess the qualities that are needed for something
The new soccer player has the makings of a great star.







329

have the Midas touch

- have the ability to make money easily
My uncle has the Midas touch and he makes money at whatever he does.

have the presence of mind to (do something)

- have the calmness and ability to act sensibly in a difficult situation
My aunt had the presence of mind to write a will before she passed away.

have the right-of-way

- have the right to drive in one lane while driving
The small car had the right-of-way but was hit by the large truck anyway.

have the time of one's life

- have a very good time
We had the time of our life at the party last night.

have the wherewithal to (do something)

- have the money or energy to do something
The man does not have the wherewithal to go to court and fight his case.

have them rolling in the aisles

- make an audience laugh a lot
The speaker had them rolling in the aisles when he gave his talk.

have to (do something)

- be obliged or forced to do something
I have to leave at 4:00 or I will be late for my appointment.


330

have to live with (something)

- have to endure something
Although the house is very cold we will have to live with it.

have too many irons in the fire

- be doing too many things at once

I have too many irons in the fire at the moment and I am very tired.

have turned the corner

- have passed a critical point in a process
I think that we have turned the corner and that our business will improve soon.

have two strikes against one

- have things working against one, be in a difficult situation
He already has two strikes against him and it will be very difficult for him to get the
job.
have what it takes

- have the ability or courage to do something
I don't believe that my friend has what it takes to be a good teacher.

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(go) haywire

- become broken or confused
The plan went haywire when our directions became confused.