have a nerve

Idioms  

1. Also, have some nerve. Have audacity, show effrontery. For example, You have a nerve telling me what to do, or She had some nerve, criticizing the people who donated their time. The related have the nerve is used with an infinitive, as in He had the nerve to scold his boss in public. This idiom uses nerve in the sense of “courage” or “audacity.” [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

have a nerve

"The next step is I'm going to have a nerve block injected into my head," he said.

From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2024

“I have a nerve inside of me to do this,” Gaga said, sitting on a swivel chair in her basement studio, when I asked what drives her.

From New York Times ● Oct. 3, 2018

The class Mammalia is placed in the phylum Chordata, in which all of the animals have a nerve cord.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2018

Using RTX, Blumberg was able to demonstrate that mammals have a nerve receptor that responds to capsaicin, causing a painful sensation.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 12, 2016

I won't have a nerve left in twenty-four hours.

From R. Holmes & Co. by Bangs, John Kendrick