have something, nothing, etc. to say for yourself

have nothing to say for (oneself)

1. To be unable to defend or explain one's behavior. I confronted Tommy about breaking the vase, and he had nothing to say for himself. I have nothing to say for myself. I know I screwed up royally here. She had nothing to say for herself because she knows she's in the wrong!

2. To struggle in conversing with others. That guy is a real dullard—he has nothing to say for himself. If you have nothing to say for yourself, then why get up there and bore us all? I almost dozed off at dinner because Don, as usual, had nothing to say for himself.

See also: for, have, nothing, say, to

have something/anything to say for (oneself)

1. To be able to explain or defend one's actions. I told you not to throw the ball in the house, and now, the vase is broken. Do you have anything to say for yourself? These accusations are pretty serious, Charles. Don't you have something to say for yourself? Do you have something yourself? No, because you know you're in the wrong!

2. To be able to converse with others. That guy is a real dullard—he doesn't have anything to say for himself. If you have didn't have anything to say for yourself, then why did you get up there and bore us all? I almost dozed off at dinner because Don never has anything to say for himself!

See also: anything, for, have, say, something, to

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

have something, nothing, etc. to ˈsay for yourself

1 be able/unable to explain your actions: I’ve asked him what he was doing here in the middle of the night, but he’s got nothing to say for himself.
2 be able/unable to hold a conversation or express your opinions: She seems very nice but she doesn’t have much to say for herself.

See also: for, have, say, to

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017