have (something) down cold

down cold

Learned, mastered, or understood perfectly, to the point of requiring little or no focus to do, recall, or accomplish. Make sure you practice these equations until you have them down cold. I always get my routine down cold so there won't be any room for error during the performance. A: "You had all those definitions down cold, though." B: "I know, and I totally blanked when I sat down to take the test!"

See also: cold, down

have (something) down cold

To learn, master, or understand something perfectly, to the point of requiring little or no focus to do, recall, or accomplish it. Make sure you practice these equations until you have them down cold. I always get my routine down cold so there won't be any room for error during the performance. A: "You had all those definitions down cold, though." B: "I know, and I totally blanked when I sat down to take the test!"

See also: cold, down, have

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

down cold, have

Learn or accomplish perfectly. For example, I have this song down cold. The slangy use of cold for "completely" dates from the late 1800s and the phrase itself from about 1900.

See also: down, have

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.