authority
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have it on good authority
To know certain information from a reliable source. I have it on good authority that Mom will take us out for ice cream if you finish your vegetables. Once that witness's story was verified, we had it on good authority that the man we'd arrested had in fact committed the crime.
throw (oneself) on/at the mercy of (someone)
To plead with someone, especially a figure of authority, to show one lenience and mercy. I have no excuse for what I did. I can only throw myself on the mercy of the duke and beg for his forgiveness. She threw herself at the mercy of the court, saying that her dependence on drugs led her to commit those crimes.
throw (oneself) upon the mercy of (someone)
To plead with someone, especially a figure of authority, to show one lenience and mercy. I have no excuse for what I did. I can only throw myself on the mercy of the duke and beg for his forgiveness. She threw herself at the mercy of the court, saying that her dependence on drugs led her to commit those crimes.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
carry (a lot of) weight (with someone or something)
Fig. to be very influential with someone or some group of people. Your argument does not carry a lot of weight with me. The senator's testimony carried a lot of weight with the council.
carry one's (own) weight
and pull one's (own) weightFig. to do one's share; to earn one's keep. (The weight is the burden that is the responsibility of someone.) Tom, you must be more helpful around the house. We each have to carry our own weight. Bill, I'm afraid that you can't work here anymore. You just haven't been carrying your weight.
carry weight (with someone)
Fig. to have influence with someone; [for an explanation] to amount to a good argument to use with someone. That carries a lot of weight with the older folks. What you say carries no weight with me.
throw oneself at the mercy of some authority
and throw oneself on the mercy of some authority; throw oneself (up)on someone's mercyFig. to seek mercy from a court of law, especially at one's sentencing for a crime; to seek help from an official or institution. He pleaded guilty and threw himself at the mercy of the court. It did no good to throw myself on the mercy of the State Department. Please don't! I throw myself upon your mercy!
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
carry weight
Also, carry authority or conviction . Exert influence, authority, or persuasion, as in No matter what the President says, his words always carry weight. Shakespeare combined two of these expressions in Henry VIII (3:2): "Words cannot carry authority so weighty." [c. 1600]
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.
have something on good authority
If you have something on good authority, you believe it is true because you trust the person who told you about it. I have it on good authority that there's no way this light can cause skin cancer. Note: This expression can be varied, for example by using get or be told instead of have. I'm told on good authority that you will be successful in your examinations.
carry weight
COMMON If a person or their opinion carries weight, they are respected and are able to influence people. Not only do men talk more, but what they say often carries more weight. El Tiempo is Colombia's leading newspaper and its opinions carry considerable weight in the country.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
have something on good authority
have ascertained something from a reliable source.carry weight
be influential or important.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
have something on good auˈthority
be able to believe something because you trust the person who gave you the information: I have it on good authority that the chairman is going to resign.carry ˈweight
be important or able to influence somebody: His opinions carry very little weight with his manager.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
carry weight
verbMcGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.