get a fix on

Idioms  

1. Also, have a fix on;;. Obtain (or have) a clear determination or understanding of something. For example, I was finally able to get a fix on the specifics of this problem, or No one in the press room had a handle on Balkan history, or Do you have a grasp of the situation? Similarly, give a fix means “provide a clear understanding,” as in This briefing will give us a fix on the current situation. The usages with fix and handle are colloquialisms dating from the 1920s; those with grasp are more formal and date from the late 1600s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

get a fix on

“The more he tried to get a fix on the fact of being Cass here,” Goldstein writes, “the more the whole idea of it just got away from him.”

From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2019

But I couldn’t get a fix on his presence — mainly because there was no presence.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 27, 2019

Cuban officials weren’t so sure about the storm’s location, and decided to get a fix on it.

From National Geographic ● Sep. 8, 2017

The conversation was short: in the background, Yadviga heard another soldier say “They’ll get a fix on us,” and she cut off the call almost immediately.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 3, 2016

“Good question. And the answer, if you understand me, is that that way it’s just a mite harder for people to get a fix on you.”

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• diagnose
• identify
• recognize