take in hand

take in hand idiom
Deal with, assume control of, as in He's going to take their debts in hand and see if they need to declare bankruptcy, or Once the new teacher takes them in hand this class will do much better. [c. 1300] Also see in hand, def. 2.

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.

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