get a fix on (something)
get a fix on (something)
1. To have a firm, clear understanding or determination of something. Go down to the circuit breaker and see if you can get a fix on what's causing the power outages. I'd gotten a pretty good fix on the concept after spending an hour with the tutor.
2. To have one's target clearly in one's sights. I had to maneuver the helicopter around the buildings until our gunner could get a fix on the sniper. I knew I could knock him out if I landed a good punch, but he moved so quick that I just couldn't get a fix on him.
See also: fix, get, on
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
get a fix on
Also, have a fix on; get or have a handle on ; get or have a grasp of . Obtain (or have) a clear determination or understanding of something. For example, I was finally able to get a fix on the specifics of this problem, or No one in the press room had a handle on Balkan history, or Do you have a grasp of the situation? Similarly, give a fix means "provide a clear understanding," as in This briefing will give us a fix on the current situation. The usages with fix and handle are colloquialisms dating from the 1920s; those with grasp are more formal and date from the late 1600s.
See also: fix, get, on
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
get a fix on someone/something
COMMON If you get a fix on someone or something, you get a clear idea or understanding of them. It's difficult to get a fix on what brokers earn. Their commissions depend on the number and cost of the properties they sell. His foreign policy adviser travelled to Washington to try to get a fix on US thinking. Note: You can also say that someone has a fix on someone or something if they understand them well. Do you have a fix on what the market wants? Note: This expression literally means to find out exactly where something is, usually by using radar or electronic equipment.
See also: fix, get, on, someone, something
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
get a fix on
1 determine the position of an aircraft, ship, etc., by visual or radio bearings or astronomical observation. 2 assess or determine the nature or facts of; obtain a clear understanding of. informal 2 1993 Independent on Sunday You do not necessarily get a fix on life by fooling around with the fictive process.
See also: fix, get, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
- get a fix on someone/something
- get a handle on
- get a handle on (something)
- get a handle on something
- get/have a handle on somebody/something
- a (good/solid/sound/etc.) grasp of/on (something)
- get a (good/solid/sound/etc.) grasp of/on (something)
- have no stomach for something
- have the stomach for
- not have the stomach for (something)