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

have a long arm
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have a taste for something • have a taste of some-
thing
have a taste for something —have a liking or preference for
smth.: He had a taste for literature, and we got on together
like one o’clock.
Note: 
The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase
have a taste in something—have the ability to choose the best
kind of smth.: He has a taste in clothes and tries to stand out
from the crowd with his alternative styles.
have a taste of something —
1
. eat or drink a small quantity
of smth. in order to see what the flavor is like: Won’t you have
a taste of this cake? 2. have a brief, usually unpleasant expe-
rience of smth.: The child may already have had a taste of
street life.
have a thing about someone • have a thing with
someone
have a thing about someone —(coll.) 
1
. feel a strong attraction
to smb.: That smile, that jawline. No wonder Jacquie had a
thing about him. 2. harbor a prejudice or fear about a person:
Connie’s got a “thing” about police. “Never trust a policeman”
is her motto.
have a thing with someone —(coll.) have a love affair with a
person: “Are you sort of having a thing with Madalena?” “I’m
interested in her,” he said. “But not sexually.”
have a tiger by the tail • hold an eel by the tail
have a tiger by the tail —(also: catch a tiger by the tail) engage
in an undertaking which may prove extremely dangerous or
difficult: Everybody seems to have their own opinion on how
the concert will go: they have a tiger by the tail and are not
sure themselves how to handle the huge crowd of fun seekers.
hold an eel by the tail —(also: catch an eel by the tail) attempt
to control an elusive person or situation: He imagined I was
in his power at Augsburg; he thought he had me; but he was
holding an eel by the tail.