settle someone's hash

settle someone's hash idiom
Subdue or get rid of someone, deal with a troublemaker, as in If John starts another argument we know just how to settle his hash. This term, dating from about 1800, uses hash in the sense of “a mess.”

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.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.