The spelling of the phrase "haddest a case" can be explained using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as [ˈhædɪst ə keɪs]. The word "haddest" is the second person singular past tense form of the verb "have" in Early Modern English. This form is no longer used in modern English, but it would have been pronounced with a short "a" sound and a "d" sound at the end. "A case" simply means a legal matter or lawsuit. Together, the phrase refers to someone who had a legal case in the past.