havethelawof (third-person singular simple presenthas the law of,present participlehaving the law of,simple past and past participlehad the law of)
- (colloquial, idiomatic, dated) To take legal action against someone.
1902,W. B. Yeats,Freedom of the Theatre:But those citizens of the Corporation, hungry tohave the law of him, saw nothing it may be but a bad example.
1800,Maria Edgeworth,Castle Rackrent:It is a kind of lottery, in which every man, staking his own wit or cunning against his neighbour's property, feels that he has little to lose, and much to gain. "I'llhave the law of you, so I will!" — is the saying of an Englishman, who expects justice.
