have on hands

have someone or something on one's hands

to be burdened with someone or something. (Have can be replaced with leave.) I run a record store. I sometimes have a large number of unwanted records on my hands. Please don't leave the children on my hands.

See also: hand, have

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have something on your hands

if you have a difficult situation on your hands, you have to deal with it If the police carry on like this, they'll have a riot on their hands before long. With four kids I suspect she's got enough on her hands.

See also: hand, have

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have somebody/something on your hands

to be responsible for someone or something If the president doesn't take an interest in the economy, he could well have an economic disaster on his hands. The coach was a little surprised to have this tall, talented athlete on her hands.

Related vocabulary: have blood on your hands

See also: hand, have