Meaning Of Idiom ‘Have Something Out’
To have something out means to have it removed from one’s body; to have something surgically removed, such as a tooth, appendix, stone, tumor, etc. 1(Definition of have something out from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press),2Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
The idiom ‘have something out’ usually refers to a medical necessity. For example, “I’m having my wisdom tooth out tommorow. It’s impacted.”
Do not confuse have something out with the similar-sounding idioms have it out with someone and have it in/out for someone.
Sentence Examples
“Your tooth is infected. You’ll have to have it out.”
“I had my tonsils out when I was seven. I heard today they don’t remove them anymore.”
“She had a small tumor out last year but it turned out to be benign.”
“He had an accident and his spleen was ruptured. He has to have it out.”
“My father had to have his gallbladder out because of his constant gallstones.”
Origin
It is difficult to determine the age of this idiom but it likely originated during the 2oth century. To have something out is a contracted way of saying ‘have something taken out.’
