Heard whilst watching a rerun of a Cold Case episode: “So after that the guard had it out for him?”. It’s clear from context that what is meant is (as this Englishman would put it), the guard had it in for him, ie from that time the guard would make it his business to rain shit upon the unfortunate chap. To have it out with someone would mean rather to confront them, to argue with them.

So, have it out for. Real American usage or the actor in question misspeaking?

I’ve located a few instances from before 2000. In each case, ‘search inside the book’ for “had it out for him”:

Dispatches from the Cold: A Novel By Leonard Chang, Black Heron Press, 1998, p. 241

The Essential Guide To Mental Health: The most comprehensive guide to the ... By Jack M. Gorman, M.D., St. Martin’s Press, 1996, p. 284

Blessings from the Fall: Turning a Fall From Grace Into a New Beginning By Beverly Engel, PH.D., Health Communications, Inc., 1997, p. 72

Pulpsmith, Volume 5, Issue 3, The Smith, 1985, p. 27

North western reporter. Second series. N.W. 2d. Cases argued and determined in the courts of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Volume 366, 1985, p. 911

Twister: A Novel John Lantigua, Simon & Schuster, 1992, p. 88

Night Whisper Patricia Wallace, Kensington Pub., 1987, p. 32

Personnel/human resource management Terry L. Leap, Michael D. Crino, Macmillan, 1989, p. 316

The Phillips family, our history, our heritage Shirley Phillips Friel, S.P. Friel, 1988, p. 73

Mount St. Helena and R. L. Stevenson State Park: A History and Guide Ken Stanton, Bonnie View Books, 1993, p. 26

I believe the USn phrase is more commonly “had it in for him”.  This is from a native USn who has been around.

What Faldage said.  I would tend to attribute “have it out for” to the limitless human capacity for mangling stock expressions, though perhaps it’s common enough to have to be considered a legitimate variant.

In my experience it’s common, but have it in for is by far the more common version.

I would guess that it was created by conflation with have it out, meaning to argue or fight, as in “the two of them had it out over the affair.”

The things you learn!  I don’t think I’ve ever heard or seen it, and I would have guessed it was a nonce mistake.  I’m flabbergasted to see that it’s so common.

I’m with languagehat.on this.  I wonder how a language can possibly be enriched by its speakers, when so many of them treat it with such a wanton lack of respect

While the curmudgeon in my agrees with lionello, my pesky rational side insists on pointing out that neither version of the expression makes any better sense literally: it’s not like saying “head over heels” to mean upside-down, or “I could care less” to indicate a complete lack of interest.

Here are a few instances of “had it in for” from ~100 years ago [in each case, search for “had it in for"]:

Hearings before the Joint commission of the Congress of the United States: Sixty-third Congress ...[search for “had it in for"], United States. Joint Commission to Investigate Indian Affairs, Govt. print. off., 1914, p. 1986

...He is a shrewd cowman and horseman, and they have had it in for him ever since he moved on the reservation, and they will not bu[y] his hay....

and,

The false chevalier, or, The lifeguard of Marie Antoinette, By William Douw Lighthall, F.E. Grafton & Sons, Montreal, 1898, p. 301:

[note: the image is a clickable link]

and,

The Rosenhagens: a drama in three acts, By Max Halbe, [translated] from Poet Lore, Vol. XXI, No. 1, January-Frbrurary, 1910, p. 21:

[note: the image is a clickable link]

There’s an interesting first cite in OED although I’m still not quite sure what it’s getting at.

1849 A. Harris Emigrant Family II. vi. 122 In consequence of a former disagreement, the speaker already ‘had it in for him’ whenever a drinking bout should afford opportunity for the said ‘it’ becoming a transferable possession.

BTW both the above and second cite ("1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms II. xviii. 283 He ‘had it in’ for more than one of the people who helped the police.") seem to be Australian. Significant? Perhaps so but it’s no more than speculation of course without firm evidence.

My reading of that first quote (which would admittedly benefit from more context) is that the party of the first part had it in for the party of the second part, and if the opportunity arose (such as finding him drunk) would give it to him.

"Infamy! Infamy! They’ve all got it infamy!”

I am familiar with the expression “having it in for someone.” Never heard of the ‘out’ version.

Could the ‘in’ version have been a contraction of another idiom?  According to the Free Dictionary:

“have your knife into somebody (British & Australian informal)
to try to cause problems for someone because you do not like them eg Mike’s had his knife into me ever since he found out I was seeing his ex-girlfriend.”

Skibberoo - 17 November 2012 09:33 PM

...Could the ‘in’ version have been a contraction of another idiom?…

I wondered about “having a knife out” for someone but found very little support for that as a popular phrase.

I saw: ”You’ve always had a knife out for me.” From The guarded heights, by Wadsworth Camp, Doubleday, Page & Co., 1921, p. 251 [if the link does not work, search inside the book for “a knife out"].

and,

This: ”...but it seems have got a knife out for each other.” From Ice And Refrigeration, Illustrated [Volumes 42-43], Volume XLII, April 1, 2012, p. 243 of the collection [if the link does not work, search inside the book for “a knife out"].

Dr. Techie - 17 November 2012 05:15 PM

My reading of that first quote (which would admittedly benefit from more context) is that the party of the first part had it in for the party of the second part, and if the opportunity arose (such as finding him drunk) would give it to him.

Thank you, doc. I see now what my weary midnight wits obscured.

The Second World War army recruit gets a letter from home with some news and, puzzled, goes to bis sergeant. “Sarge”, he says, “my wife’s sent me a letter saying she’s had a baby, but I don’t see how that can be - I’ve not been home for 15 months.” “Private,” the sergeant says to him, “that’s what we call a ‘grudge’ baby.” “Grudge baby, Sarge?” “Yes, Private - somebody’s had it in for you.”