what did he have to say for himself

[azz]

a. What did he have to say for himself?

What does this sentence mean?

I tried looking up in dictionaries but did not find anything. It is not clear for me how to search the meaning of this expression in a dictionary so I might have gone about it the wrong way.

It seems to me that it is used in two ways;
What did he have to say?
Basically
What did he say?

and
What did he have to say in his defense?


Is that right?

Thank you.
Azz,

 

[carlotta032]

For me it is rather, what did he have to say in his defense, but would be better to know the context.

On the other hand it can be a sort of internal dialogue or reflection where the character speaks and answers in his head, thinking of the various possibilities for example.

but would be better to know the context.

 

[Rex2]

I have only ever heard this phrase used in the context of someone who has erred presenting an excuse, a defence, or an explanation of his/her actions.