'has the spine' is a correct and usable expression in written English.
It is generally used to refer to someone who is brave, courageous or determined in the face of adversity. For example: "The young soldier showed he had the spine to fight in the war despite his fear".
In perhaps the apotheosis of parental cluelessness, Jim's dad -- Jim Backus -- has the spine of a hologram.
The party's expected nominee, Gov. George W. Bush, ought to look closely at this chance to show that he has the spine to stand up to the intimidators from the religious right, a faction that exerted an outsized influence during his father's administration.
At a certain point, McGarity said, it comes down to "the extent to which the Obama administration has the spine to say, no, we really mean it".
I look forward to Rosoff's novels because they are all so different, and this story of the world in the hands of a feckless and hormone-driven male has the spine-tingling weirdness of Just in Case, her existing Carnegie winner, which also explored the mind of an obsessive teenage boy.
It is also true that, at heart, he did not have the spine for leadership.
Mr. Bush may not have the brains to always do the right thing, but does Mr. Gore have the spine?
We hope we can learn from today and we do have the spine of a good side in the future.
At least the English know how to defend themselves with their referendum; we don't have the spine.
Does Nuance have the spine to keep prices down and quality up when it's the only game in town?
Given US officials think they need to placate Saudi Arabia after the Iran nuclear deal, it seems unlikely they have the spine.
They don't have the spine to stand up to Cheney, and they will respectfully disagree, and vote for whatever the vice president tells them to.
