A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

have a crow to pluck • pluck a pigeon
have a crow to pluck —state and settle some disagreeable
issue with smb.: When they have taken their places, she said
abruptly: “I have a crow to pluck with you.”
pluck a pigeon —(sl.) swindle an ignorant or credulous per-
son: A noble Duke or Lord, would have as little scruple in
plucking a pigeon as their inferiors.
have a dash at something • make a dash at
 something
have a dash at something —(coll.) make an attempt to do
smth.: He decided to have a dash at surgical intervention and
risk the consequences.
make a dash at something —
1
. = have a dash at something: It
was his habit, when traveling in any foreign country, to make
a dash at French, even if the people understood English. 2.
make a sudden vigorous assault or endeavor: Allen drew up
his men and announced his intention to make a dash at the
fort without waiting for more force.
have a down on someone • have an up on someone
have a down on someone —(also: have a downer on someone)
have a grudge against smb.; dislike a person: For some reason
or other he had a down on me and I grew to hate him.
have an up on someone —have an advantage over a person:
I’m not bilingual though, so you do have an up on me.
have a drop • have the drop
have a drop —(coll.) take a small quantity of liquor: I have
had a drop, but I had not been drinking.
have the drop —(coll.) have an advantage over a person: The
boys from that team have the drop on their opponents.
have a drop too much • have a glass too much
have a drop too much —(coll. understatement) be rather drunk
(also: take a drop too much): One night I had a drop too much
and there was a bit of a row.
have a glass too much —(coll.) be drunk: The policeman said
that Peter had a glass too much. Of course, what he had really
had was a pair of glasses too little.