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Glite Dictionary
to have the gall

to have the gall

14 7.9
Be bold enough to do something rude or shocking
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : tener la cara dura
  • She had the gall to ask for a raise right after her poor performance review.
  • had the gall to say
  • had the gall to ask
  • had the gall to blame

First of all, they have the gall to send you emails before you're signed up.

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Examples

  • I can't believe you have the gall to criticize my work after what you submitted.

  • I can't believe what my mother had the gall to serve for dinner last night.

    Joy of Sex (1984)

  • And it's a great opportunity if you have the gall to go up and get your program signed.

  • Who would have the gall to send this?

    The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

  • And you have the gall to show your face in here again.

    The Lilac Thief (2019)

  • The fact that he had the gall to run for president is bad enough.

    Blog text (18)

  • And just try to get doctors to listen to you if you have the gall to raise a question.

    Blog text (4)

  • And now this magic courses through you, and you have the gall to believe that you deserve it?

    Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

  • Then, they even have the gall to complain when someone calls them on it.

    Blog text (4)

  • And then they have the gall to say they can't bring them back.

Synonyms

to have the nerve
vsto have the gall
  • Informal
68 6.2

To be brave enough to do something bold or rude

shows audacity aimed at shocking or disrespecting rather than mere courage
to have the cheek
vsto have the gall
  • UK
1 8.2

To be rude enough to do something that shows no respect

shows bolder behavior that shocks or deeply offends people

Antonyms

timidity
7 5.8

Feeling too shy or afraid to try new things

meekness
3 5.1

A quiet, gentle way of behaving that avoids arguing or complaining

How Audacious

brazenness
2 7.3
to have the gall
  • Informal
14 7.9
to have the nerve
  • Informal
68 6.2
to dare
516 1.1

Surface Forms

have the gall infinitive
had the gall past
had the gall past participle
having the gall present participle
has the gall third person singular

Morphology

have + the + gall

The meaning 'to have the audacity or boldness' is directly derived from 'have' (to possess) plus 'gall' (shameless or impertinent daring); the determiner 'the' is just a grammatical marker. This is a straightforward possessive/metaphorical composition (similar to 'have the nerve') and is cross-linguistically paralleled, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The idiom have the gall may come from an old idea that gall — a bitter liquid in the body — made people harsh and bold. So saying someone 'has the gall' paints a picture of rude boldness, and today have the gall means 'to have the boldness' to do something shocking.