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Glite Dictionary
to have it made

to have it made

12 5.6
To be in a very lucky situation with little to worry about
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : tenerlo hecho
  • If the South would have won, we would have had it made.
  • thought I had it made
  • have it made in the shade
  • guys have it made

Still, do you think you'll ever have it made or it was an experiment?

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Examples

  • If all we need is for Loria to be himself, we have it made.

    Blog text (19)

  • Oh, if the South would have won, we would have had it made.

    Blog text (4)

  • I mean, he had it made for life.

    Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (2017)

  • I said if the South would have won, we would have had it made!

    Blog text (4)

  • You really have it made, don't you?

    Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)

  • You know... before I moved to Laguna, I kind of had it made at my old school.

    Surf School (2006)

  • In 1925, we all had it made.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • When we get back, you're still gonna go home and marry mister most-likely-to-succeed and have it made.

    Valley Inn (2014)

  • After landing a great job right out of college, I feel like I have it made.

  • With a supportive family and a stable job, she knows she has it made in life.

Synonyms

in luck
vsto have it made
36 1.6

Having something good happen by chance

is in a lasting advantageous state rather than a lucky moment
to have the world by the tail
vsto have it made
  • Informal
1 9.1

To feel very successful and have control of your life

is in a favorable situation without needing to manage things

Antonyms

struggle
466 3.2

A hard effort to do or finish something difficult

disadvantaged
34 3.7

People who do not have enough money, support, or chances to do well

How Secure

set for life
  • Informal
8 4.2
to have it made
  • Informal
12 5.6
comfortable
107 2.9
to get by
121 3.1

Surface Forms

have it made infinitive
had it made past
had it made past participle
having it made present participle
has it made third person singular

Morphology

have + it + made

The adjective 'made' can be understood as 'successful' or 'settled', and combining it with 'have it' plausibly yields the idea of 'possessing a favorable/settled state', so a learner who knows the words might plausibly infer the general sense. However, the phrase is a fixed idiomatic pattern rather than a fully regular compositional construction, so the exact nuance ('to be in a very advantageous situation with little to worry about') is partly conventional and may not be fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Have it made comes from the simple image of something already made for you — like a finished meal or a job all set up so you do not need to work. So, it means 'to be in a very good situation' or 'to have little to worry about'.