Have a toehold
verb phrase
To get or have a precarious grip on something; get or have an uncertain command: You’ve got a good toehold on the job; now let’s see you take over
[1940s+; fr the sort of unsure footing one has when only the toes are planted and the precarious seizure one has made when only the toe of the quarry is in one’s grip]
Related Terms
get a toehold
Read Also:
- Have a weakness for
Be susceptible to; also, like or enjoy. For example, She has a weakness for older men, or Bill has a weakness for fine wine. [ c. 1700 ]
- Have a whack at
see: have a crack at
- Have a word with
Speak with, discuss with, as in Jerry asked to have a word with you , or I must have a word with Bill about the repairs . This expression, from the late 1400s, was at one time used interchangeably with have words with , but it no longer is.
- Have a yen for
Crave or desire, as in I have a yen for a thick juicy steak. The yen in this expression comes from the Chinese yan, meaning “a craving” (probably for opium). The term was first recorded in English in 1906.
- Have brass balls
verb phrase To have audacity; be foolhardy: Which one of you worthless nits had the brass balls enough to cough when I was talking (1970s+)