hair on it
v. phr.— «M&T Bank also said the investors who buy the bank’s mortgage debt are taking advantage of contractual clauses to force M&T to buy loans back, sometimes because of payment defaults. The bank set aside $6 million anticipating that more investors will force M&T to repurchase Alt-A loans at a loss.…“Buyers are getting very edgy right now.…Anything that shows any hair on it is going to get put back to the lenders.”» —“Mortgage Woes Spread Up Credit Ladder” by Dan Seymour Fortune Apr. 2, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Susan from Virginia Beach, Virginia, shares the phrase her mother used when the kids refused to eat: It’ll grow hair on your back teeth. This supposed motivator likely blends two older traditions: a German idiom, Haare auf den Zähnen haben...
In 1916, a small-town newspaper in Pennsylvania printed a fanciful item about a local gathering with a guest list that included, among others, Miss Ella Vader, Mr. Ray Zor, and other punny names. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...