What does "You just better had" mean in this context?

Question

"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"

I don't quite understand "You just better had" in this context. I can't find a reference in dictionaries. What does it truly mean?

TimR · Accepted Answer · 2018-11-24 14:38:00Z

3

It's elliptical, understanding the presence of the verb + object from the prior statement.

You just better had [beat him]

answered Nov 24, 2018 at 14:38

TimR

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1

It is also a rephrasing of the prior statement for emphasis: "You'd better" or "You had better" becomes "You [just] better had".
– Lee Mac
Nov 24, 2018 at 14:43
@LeeMac, It seems to be a kind of wordplay here. ..
– dan
Nov 24, 2018 at 14:46
2

I'd consider ...you just better had! Brit-speak. In AmE we would say "You better beat him...you just better!" or "You'd better beat him....you'd just better!". But in either case it is ellipsis.
– TimR
Nov 24, 2018 at 14:57
1

@Tᴚoɯɐuo "Brit-speak" I'd agree with that :-)
– Lee Mac
Nov 24, 2018 at 15:03
1

@dan: books.google.com/ngrams/… Search against Google Books, not against websites.
– TimR
Nov 24, 2018 at 15:07

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