have the law of

English

Verb

have the law of (third-person singular simple present has the law of, present participle having the law of, simple past and past participle had the law of)

1. (colloquial, idiomatic, dated) To take legal action against someone.
   • 1902, W. B. Yeats, Freedom of the Theatre:

     But those citizens of the Corporation, hungry to have the law of him, saw nothing it may be but a bad example.

   • 1800, Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent:

     It is a kind of lottery, in which every man, staking his own wit or cunning against his neighbour's property, feels that he has little to lose, and much to gain. "I'll have the law of you, so I will!" — is the saying of an Englishman, who expects justice.