have a nerve

Idioms and Phrases

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]