Idiom: have someone/something
on one’s hands
Meaning
Idiom: have someone (something) on one’s hands
- to have a person or problem you have to deal with
Example sentences
— Unfortunately, I’ve got a serious problem on my hands with the new factory in Thailand so I’ve got to travel there tomorrow.
— Our twins were quiet babies but now we’ve got very noisy and active two-year-old's on our hands.
— If we don't get these packages in the mail today, we're going to have some very unhappy customers on our hands.
— A group of drunk men just came into our restaurant. It looks as though we’re going to have trouble on our hands.
— Unfortunately, a pipe broke in our house while we were away this weekend and now we have a flood on our hand.
— Someone just slipped on the wet floor in the lobby and I'm afraid we may have a lawsuit on our hands.
— I wish I could come to your party this evening but I dropped my keys down the elevator shaft so I've got a huge problem on my hands.
— Someone tried to change the copier toner themselves and didn't manage to do it so I've got a huge mess on my hands to clean up.
Synonym
- something to contend with
- deal with
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